Know Your Foe: Oklahoma Sooners vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

The Oklahoma Sooners are back home in Week 9. OU is currently 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SEC in what's been an up and down season, and this week will see the Sooners look to win consecutive games for the first time all year. Oklahoma defeated UTEP, but lost to Michigan. The Sooners beat New Mexico, but fell against Georgia. After the bye, OU toppled Texas, but then lost against Kentucky. Last week, the Sooners defeated Mississippi State, so they're hoping to buck a trend this week and get back-to-back wins

This week, head coach Brent Venables and his team have their sights set on the South Carolina Gamecocks, who will be coming to Norman on homecoming weekend. The Gamecocks went 4-8 last year, winning just one league game and missing a bowl game.

Head coach Shane Beamer is in his sixth season in Columbia, after South Carolina hired him away from his post as OU's tight ends/h-backs coach following the 2020 season. He spent three years in Norman, working under former head coach Lincoln Riley. Beamer is the son of the legendary Frank Beamer, who was the longtime head coach at Virginia Tech. In addition to coaching under his father in Blacksburg, he also worked as an assistant for the legendary Steve Spurrier at South Carolina.

This season, Beamer's team is 4-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play entering Week 9. Easy wins over Kent State (57-0) and Towson (45-9) were followed by three straight losses to Mississippi State (41-34), Alabama (49-18), and Kentucky (35-34). However, the Gamecocks have bounced back, beating Florida (38-19) before going into their bye week. Last week, South Carolina took down Tennessee in dramatic fashion, winning 27-24 on a walk-off field goal. This team is playing its best football right now.

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On offense, new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles calls the plays for the Gamecocks. He's the son of former Houston and Baylor head coach Art Briles, and South Carolina hired him away from TCU this offseason, where he'd been for three seasons. Prior to that, he spent three years at Arkansas. Despite Beamer having offense as part of his coaching background, Briles is in full control on that side of the ball. He'll be matched up against Venables calling the defense on the opposing sideline.

Briles' offense is very similar to what OU saw last week against Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State. The veer-and-shoot emphasizes wide splits by receivers, a downhill running game, lots of RPOs, and a heavy dose of screens, deep choice routes, and downfield shots. It forces defenses to defend every blade of grass, creating space for the offense to operate. Also called the "wide choice" offense, one of the most important features is an extremely fast tempo. Briles and Lebby majored in the system during their time as assistants under the elder Briles while at Baylor.

Hiring Briles has been a big plus for quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who is one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the nation. He's been placed in a much better offensive scheme for his talents this season, and he's getting the ball out quicker and more effectively. He's a game-changing playmaker who can hurt you with his legs or his arm, and the Oklahoma defense's top job is to contain him and keep him from taking over the game.

Running back Matt Fuller is South Carolina's leading rusher, and he has five touchdowns on the ground so far this season. In the passing game, wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. has been Sellers' top target this season, and the always-dangerous Nyck Harbor is a wideout the Sooners have to watch out for as well. DJ Black is the third-leading receiver for the Gamecocks.

On the other side of the ball, OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will face South Carolina co-defensive coordinators Clayton White and Torrian Gray. White is the play-caller, and Beamer hired him when he first got the job in Columbia. Prior to getting the job at South Carolina, White was Western Kentucky's defensive coordinator. Gray has also been on Beamer's staff since 2021, and he's been coaching the defensive backs. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator this past offseason, and he was at Florida before coaching for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina's defense has cohesion and chemistry, and there's no shortage of talent on that side of the ball. Dylan Stewart is a monster as an edge rusher, and he is extremely dangerous when he's healthy. However, Anthony Addison is actually South Carolina's leading sack man at this point in the year. Linebackers Justin Okoronkwo and Fred Johnson lead the Gamecocks in tackles, and Peyton Williams leads the way in the secondary. This group is an upgrade from what the Sooners saw last week, and quarterback John Mateer will need to take care of the ball against a unit that isn't great at forcing turnovers right now. Protecting Mateer against the pass rush is a must this week.

More: Oklahoma vs. South Carolina: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

OU's running game needs to build on an encouraging performance against Mississippi State. Balance and a commitment to the ground game would go a long way toward helping the Sooners get the win at home.

Oklahoma special teams coordinator Doug Deakin will face off against South Carolina special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. He's another new coordinator on staff in Columbia this year, as he spent last season at Penn State. Before that, he spent a long stretch on staff with the NFL's Buffalo Bills. However, with part of this team's background being "Beamer Ball" and excellent special teams, the Sooners have to make sure they are very solid in that phase this week. After three missed field goals last week, OU's margin for error won't be as big against the Gamecocks.

Oklahoma and South Carolina have met only twice, both in the last two seasons. In 2024, the Gamecocks came to Norman and dominated the Sooners, winning 35-9. OU fell into a 21-0 hole very early in that game, committing three bad turnovers on the first three drives to essentially seal defeat after a matter of minutes.

Last year, OU went to Columbia and returned the favor, winning 26-7. Oklahoma's defense harassed Sellers, and the Sooners had perhaps their best rushing day of that season on the road against South Carolina. Now, OU will look to become the first team to win on its home field when the teams meet.

Beamer's seat was hot coming into this season, and it was on fire after his team lost three straight to fall to 2-3. However, consecutive wins against Florida and Tennessee in the last three weeks have righted the ship, and South Carolina feels like they can play with anybody right now. The hope has been restored, at least for now, in Beamer. However, how he closes the season will go a long way, and it starts on Saturday afternoon on the road. Former Sooners wide receiver Jayden Gibson will make his return to Norman on Saturday, though he is out for the season due to injury.

Of course, Oklahoma's chances in this game fall on the offense. If Arbuckle, Mateer, and the rest can build on last week's better performance, the Sooners have enough talent to win. Special teams cannot be ignored, as Beamer's teams always play well in that phase of the game, with part of his coaching background being in that department. Winning the turnover and special teams battles are two things the Sooners have to focus on this week.

Defensively, OU can't let Sellers beat them on his own. The Sooners have seen Sellers twice already, and they've been mostly sound against him in the two prior matchups. However, a new-look offense means Sellers will challenge the defense differently than before. Not allowing themselves to be beat on big plays down the field will also be a point of emphasis for this defense.

This game looks like another four-quarter affair, and it should be much closer than the two previous contests between the two schools. Execution when things get tight will decide the winner, and Oklahoma's offense will again be under the microscope.

The stretch run is here. Both teams haven't had the seasons they wanted so far, but one is about to get a win that could propel them toward a strong last month of the season. The other will be left searching for more answers in a disappointing year. Oklahoma has to set itself up to make the best of what next month will have to offer in the SEC, but it can't do that without winning on Saturday afternoon.

Kickoff for Oklahoma-South Carolina is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. in Norman on Saturday on the SEC Network.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Know Your Foe: Oklahoma Sooners vs. South Carolina Gamecocks