On Halloween, South Carolina found the kind of matchup that can make an offense look haunted in all the right ways.
The Gamecocks rolled past Oklahoma 42-25 on Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and the result never really felt in doubt. South Carolina improved to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, notching its third straight conference win after a rough 2-3 start and three straight league losses.
The bigger picture is simple: the Gamecocks are now one win from bowl eligibility, and a nine-win regular season is at least on the table. More than that, this team suddenly looks dangerous.
After beating No. 11 Tennessee and then taking down Oklahoma on the road, South Carolina has strung together a run that suggests it can beat just about anybody.
Saturday’s game had a strange feel from the start, mostly because Oklahoma’s offense was so ineffective that it seemed to trigger bad memories of South Carolina’s own 2025 unit under Mike Shula. By halftime, the Sooners had nearly as many penalty yards, 54, as actual yards, 71. They didn’t come close to the end zone until John Mateer threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Even with South Carolina losing the turnover battle 3-0 - including a LaNorris Sellers pick-six - the game never looked close. The Gamecocks were the more complete team from start to finish, and they reached the point where 20 points felt like enough.
Against this Oklahoma offense, that was more than fair. South Carolina got to 21 points in less than 21 minutes.
The play that really broke it open came early in the second quarter. On third-and-12, Sellers stepped up and launched an 84-yard touchdown to DJ Black, the longest pass play in the SEC this season.
The ball traveled 57 yards in the air and dropped right into Black’s hands. It was the kind of throw that made everything else on the day look easy.
Sellers kept piling on in the fourth quarter. On third-and-9, he scrambled left, looked ready to tuck it and move the chains, then turned and fired a pass nearly 50 yards downfield to Mazeo Bennett, who sprinted into the end zone for a 79-yard touchdown.
Sellers finished 19 of 24 for 301 yards and three passing touchdowns. He also ran 13 times for a game-high 96 yards and two more scores.
South Carolina finished with 521 total yards. That number stands out even more when you remember that in its last two games against Oklahoma coach Brent Venables’ defense, the Gamecocks had managed just 478 total yards combined.
While Oklahoma fans were chanting for their offensive coordinator to be fired, South Carolina’s supporters had their own joke to make about Kendal Briles. On a week when Venables was the bigger talking point, Briles ended up taking the hit.
For South Carolina, the trip to Norman was another sign that the momentum is real. The Gamecocks have gone from a sluggish start to a stretch where the offense is humming and the results are following. On this Halloween, they got to enjoy the candy.
In Other News...
South Carolina Suddenly Has A Huge Backfield Problem After Oklahoma
Matt Fullers breakout season took a hard turn in the first quarter against Oklahoma, when the South Carolina running back left with an ankle injury and later was found to have a broken bone in his foot. He is expected to have surgery, which likely ends his season and leaves the Gamecocks without one of their most productive backs at a time when the offense had been leaning on him heavily.
Fuller had already piled up 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns before the injury, giving South Carolina a reliable presence in the backfield and a steady option in the run game. In his absence against Oklahoma, Jabree Coleman, Christian Clark and Isaiah Augustave all got work, and the Gamecocks now have to sort out how they replace Fullers production moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Swinney Blasts Fan Stunt He Says Crossed The Line
Clemsons win over Florida State was supposed to be the headline, but Dabo Swinney spent part of his postgame attention on something floating above the stadium instead. A banner calling for the firing of coach Mike Norvell and trustee Peter Collins drew Swinneys criticism, with the Clemson coach pointing out the misspelling of Norvells name and saying he was disappointed by the stunt. The message was reportedly crowdfunded by a fan and cost $3,550.
Swinneys reaction fit a broader point he has made before about what should and should not happen when a team is struggling. He stressed that the focus ought to stay on supporting the players, not turning losses into public campaigns aimed at getting people fired. In a rivalry-driven sport where emotion runs high, the banner became a reminder that the line between venting frustration and crossing into something uglier can be a thin one. [Read more 🡒]
LaNorris Sellers Has South Carolina Back In A Bigger Conversation
South Carolinas latest win did more than keep a streak alive. By beating Oklahoma 42-25 for a third straight victory, the Gamecocks pushed themselves back into a more meaningful conversation, and LaNorris Sellers was at the center of it. The quarterback delivered a dynamic performance with 301 passing yards, three touchdown throws, 96 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground, giving South Carolina the kind of offensive spark that can change the tone around a season.
At 5-3, the Gamecocks have created some breathing room, but the next stretch will say plenty about how far this run can go. The schedule ahead brings tougher tests that will shape their postseason chances, and the question now is whether Sellers and South Carolina can carry this momentum into games that carry far more weight than a November win in October. [Read more 🡒]