After an embarrassing loss against Texas in the Red River Rivalry game last week, the Oklahoma Sooners look to bounce back at home versus the 3-3 South Carolina Gamecocks. And, it’s hard to say the Sooners are in a good place right now – coming off an uninspiring loss to Texas.
The Oklahoma offense, with a spate of receiver injuries, quarterback questions, and a new coordinator, has simply not been very good. With a difficult SEC slate the rest of the way, beating the Gamecocks is the easiest path to squeeze into a bowl game after winning 10 games last season.
At the center of that offense is the progress of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The undersized dual-threat passer replaced blue-chipper Jackson Arnold and has provided a measure of a spark. However, that Sooners passing attack has been far from humming, even with him out there.
Key Players for the Oklahoma Sooners
Michael Hawkins Jr., Quarterback
Hawkins started the season as a backup before stepping in for hyped blue-chipper Jackson Arnold. He’s not the most consistent, but he has that “spark” quality to him. He can run, scramble, and create chaos. For the season, he’s posted 458 passing yards, one touchdown, no picks, plus 128 rushing yards and one touchdown.
R Mason Thomas, Defensive End
Oklahoma has a nice collection of solid to good play-makers, but R Mason Thomas is probably the most disruptive as a versatile pass rusher. Considering some of South Carolina’s issues with sacks and strip sacks, controlling Thomas without giving up too many chances elsewhere is key. For the season, the 243-pounder has 12 tackles (6.5 for loss), 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Key Players for the South Carolina Gamecocks
LaNorris Sellers, QB
Each week brings another batch of good plays for the 19-year old quarterback. LaNorris Sellers went 23-for-31 against Alabama, throwing for 238 yards; and some nice runs were undercut by sacks and a pair of fumbles. He’ll be challenged by a pretty sturdy Sooners defense. In five games this season, Sellers has 793 passing yards, four scores, and four interceptions, plus 219 rushing yards.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, RB
The 230-pound running back has been up and down, with some nice plays and some ineffective games. But when he’s hammering through folks and getting lathered up, it adds such a different element to the Gamecocks offense. For the year, he’s posted 393 yards and five scores despite an ankle injury limiting him at points.
Jalon Kilgore, DB
The Oklahoma Sooners passing attack hasn’t been great, but it can cause issues with solid play-makers getting into space, especially the young quarterback. Kilgore is often a player who closes down that space. If he’s tracking folks down, it goes a long way to limiting an attack like this one. For the season, the sophomore has 20 tackles, three for loss, and three interceptions.
What Sooners fans should know about the Gamecocks
South Carolina is coming off another difficult game.
After a slew of mistakes prevented a matchup with Ole Miss from being more of a competitive game, the Gamecocks hung with No. 7 Alabama but couldn’t close it out in the end and lost 27-25. And another close loss against a good team starts to put the stakes of the season into focus.
The Gamecocks have three wins, with FCS Wofford still on the slate. Vanderbilt is tougher than usual, and while Oklahoma and Texas A&M seem beatable coming up, the ones that got away still linger.
If South Carolina ends up with either five or even four wins, likely prompting some uncomfortable leadership conversations, close calls against LSU and Alabama will loom large.
Folks outside the program are also starting to make noise about the direction and function of the offense. While there are flashes from young players, the group is still 106th nationally in yards per play, which most of the time prompts unrest about the man calling those plays.
