South Carolina beat Oklahoma 42-25 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Gamecocks threw 3 interceptions and still won comfortably because their passing game averaged about 11 yards a throw.
Oklahoma forced every turnover in the game and committed none. It didn't matter. South Carolina's big plays through the air, including touchdowns of 84 and 79 yards, outweighed everything the Sooners took away.
How It Happened
South Carolina struck first. LaNorris Sellers ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 6:26 left in the first quarter, and Malik Orsan's kick made it 7-0.
Oklahoma answered early in the second quarter without its offense. Kip Lewis returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown at 14:05, and Tate Sandell's kick tied it at 7.
The second quarter then turned into a South Carolina run. Christian Clark scored from 1 yard out at 11:20. Barely two minutes later, Sellers hit DJ Black for an 84-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.
Sandell pulled Oklahoma within 21-10 with a 52-yard field goal at 2:49. South Carolina had the last word before the break, as Sellers found Nyck Harbor for an 8-yard score with 16 seconds left. That sent the Gamecocks into halftime with a comfortable lead.
The third quarter produced only one score. Sellers ran 11 yards for a touchdown at 2:04, pushing the lead further out of reach.
Oklahoma opened the fourth with John Mateer's 34-yard touchdown pass to Ivan Carreon at 14:53, but the two-point try failed. South Carolina needed under two minutes to respond. Sellers connected with Mazeo Bennett Jr. on a 79-yard touchdown at 13:13 to make it 42-16.
The Sooners closed the gap without threatening the result. Sandell kicked a 34-yard field goal at 9:46. Mateer and Carreon hooked up again from 10 yards at 2:59, and another failed two-point pass left the final at 42-25.
Key Performers
LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina: 3 passing TD (84, 8, 79 YDS), 2 rushing TD (15, 11 YDS)
South Carolina passing: 21-27, 309 YDS, 11.4 yards per pass
South Carolina rushing: 44 ATT, 212 YDS, 4.8 per carry
Ivan Carreon, Oklahoma: 2 receiving TD (34, 10 YDS) from John Mateer
Kip Lewis, Oklahoma: 30-yard interception return TD
Tate Sandell, Oklahoma: 2 FG (52, 34 YDS), 1 extra point
Sellers had a hand in 5 of South Carolina's 6 touchdowns. The 84-yarder to Black capped a quick second-quarter burst, and the 79-yarder to Bennett came right after Oklahoma had opened the fourth quarter with a score.
The run game kept the pressure on. South Carolina ran it 44 times and held the ball for over 32 minutes.
What It Means
The efficiency gap explains the margin. South Carolina completed 21 of 27 passes and converted 8 of 14 third downs. Oklahoma needed 43 attempts to throw for less yardage and averaged under 6 yards per pass.
The Sooners actually won the first-down count, 24 to 22. They just didn't finish enough drives, going 0 for 1 on fourth down and failing both two-point tries.
South Carolina moves to 5-3 and is now 2-1 on the road. Oklahoma falls to 4-4 and 2-2 at home. A team that wins the turnover battle 3-0 and still loses comfortably has bigger problems than luck.