South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer went into the locker room at Gaylord Memorial Stadium with a 32-3 halftime lead, giving him an option of messages to share with his team.
Beamer told SEC Network sideline reporter Alyssa Lang that he wasn’t going to say “it’s 0-0.” No. The Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 SEC) were dominating. He wanted that message to echo, to linger.
Oklahoma had no answers on offense, and in the first SEC showdown in program history, South Carolina picked up a 35-9 win over the Sooners (4-3, 1-3), dominating from start to finish.
The Gamecocks logged nine sacks, 13 tackles for loss, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, and by the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, eight different defenders had sacked the Oklahoma QB.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers was 16-of-24 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown to go with 13 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
South Carolina’s Rocket Sanders led the way on the ground, logging one touchdown and 33 yards. Tight end Josh Simon scored on a 33-yard touchdown pass, and caught four of five targets for 43 total yards.
South Carolina goes three-and-out after the fumble recovery, Herrera’s field goal is good.
South Carolina’s Ronnie Porter forces a fumble that Bam Martin-Scott recovers as Oklahoma seeks a first down with just over nine minutes to play.
Jackson Arnold’s finds Brenen Thompson for a 54-yard touchdown. The Sooners go for two but are stopped at the goal line.
First half comparison
South Carolina
Oklahoma
LaNorris Sellers finds finds Josh Simon for the 33-yard touchdown. Maurice Brown converts on the two-point conversion right before halftime.
The Gamecock sack QB Jackson Arnold on 3rd and 10, forcing a 44-yard field goal. Sooners are on the board.
Alex Herrera’s 39-yard field goal is good.
South Carolina leads by three scores after one. The Gamecocks defense have forced three turnovers for 19 yards, have three sacks, and four tackles for a loss of 30 yards.
Emmanwori intercepts Hawkins for the second time in the first quarter and runs it 65-yards for the touchdown with over nine minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Demetrius Knight sacked Hawkins and defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway scooped up the ball to run in his first touchdown of the season.
Rocket Sanders runs in the touchdown on the 41-yard, five-play scoring drive for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks start on Oklahoma’s 41-yard line after Emmanwori picks off Hawkins on the first throw of the game.
South Carolina vs Oklahoma will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network. Tom Hart and Cole Cubelic will call the game from the booth at Gaylord Memorial Stadium, with Alyssa Lang reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
This is the first time in program history these two teams will play each other.
South Carolina 21, Oklahoma 7: It’ll be a defensive showdown but the Gamecocks offense builds off the energy of almost beating Alabama, and takes this one on the road before their open date.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:
South Carolina
Oklahoma
The weather forecast for kickoff on Saturday is 71 degrees.
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