Gamecocks’ defense throttles Oklahoma, 35-9

NORMAN — LaNorris Sellers passed for 175 yards and South Carolina scored two defensive touchdowns in the first quarter to set the tone in a 35-9 rout of Oklahoma on Saturday.

South Carolina had nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss and held the Sooners to 291 total yards.

The Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) got a win for their coach, former Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer. He said returning was important, but the recovery after a 27-25 loss at then-No. 7 Alabama a week earlier was even more satisfying.

“Just so happy for our players,” Beamer said. “To come off the heartbreak of last week and respond like we did today was really freaking awesome to watch. I think there was very much a mentality with our players after last week of enough’s enough, and we know what kind of team we can be. We’ve been banging on the door. It’s time to kick the door down. And we certainly kicked the door down today.”

The Gamecocks scored 22 points off four Oklahoma turnovers without committing a turnover.

“We said going into the game that one of our keys to victory was — every week, it’s to win the turnover battle, but this week we actually used the word dominate the turnover battle, and they absolutely did,” Beamer said. “What a start.”

Jackson Arnold passed for 225 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma after replacing Michael Hawkins Jr. in the first quarter. Jacob Jordan added six catches for 86 yards for the Sooners (4-3, 1-3). This marks the second time since 1999 that Oklahoma has lost consecutive home games.

“What we put out there today as a football team is nothing remotely close to the standard here at the University of Oklahoma, certainly not what we planned for today,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “My job as a head coach is to evaluate everything and figure it out and find a way to put us in a better position to be successful.”

Oklahoma got behind early after three quick turnovers that got Hawkins benched. He threw an interception on Oklahoma’s first offensive play, and the Gamecocks scored a touchdown on the possession. On Oklahoma’s next possession, Hawkins fumbled while being sacked by Demetrius Knight Jr, and Tonka Hemingway returned it 64 yards for a touchdown.

On Oklahoma’s third possession, Hawkins was hit as he threw, and Nick Emmanwori intercepted the errant throw and returned it 65 yards for a score to make it 21-0 just over five minutes into the game. Hawkins turned the ball over on three of his nine plays before he was replaced.

South Carolina led 32-3 at halftime after holding the Sooners to 109 yards.

The defense closed it out in the second half, giving the Gamecocks a confidence boost.

“We can go toe-to-toe with anybody in this country,” Beamer said. “I mean, if you’re one of the better teams in the SEC, you’re one of the better teams in the entire nation. And our record may not say it. And we know that every week is a grind in this league. But we’ve shown that we can go toe-to-toe with the best in this league.”

The Takeaway

South Carolina: The Gamecocks proved that hanging tough with Alabama the previous week was no fluke. They entered the game having forced 12 turnovers, good for 12th nationally, and forced four more on Saturday.

Oklahoma: The Sooners couldn’t protect their quarterbacks, a constant theme throughout the season. Oklahoma had open receivers at times, but no time to throw to them. South Carolina had nine sacks by nine different players. Oklahoma’s defense was up to the task, holding the Gamecocks to 254 yards.

Bag of tricks

Beamer, known for trick plays, had a few up his sleeve on Saturday. The Gamecocks lined up in a funky formation for a 2-point conversion and Maurice Brown ran it in for the score that gave the Gamecocks a 32-3 lead in the second quarter. Later, the Gamecocks failed on a fake field goal attempt on the final play of the first half.

Beamer’s success

Beamer was Oklahoma’s assistant head coach from 2018 to 2020 under Lincoln Riley. He coached tight ends and H-backs and assisted on special teams. The Sooners went 33-6 during those three seasons.

Burned redshirt

By playing in his fifth game, Arnold burned his redshirt season. The sophomore hadn’t played since Sept. 21. Venables said during the week that the possibility of him redshirting had been discussed.

Up Next

South Carolina: Hosts No. 14 Texas A&M on Nov. 2.

Oklahoma: Visits No. 18 Ole Miss on Saturday.