South Carolina Beats Oklahoma 42-25 as LaNorris Sellers Accounts for Five Touchdowns

South Carolina’s big lead in Norman held up. The Gamecocks beat Oklahoma 42-25 on Saturday night, Oct. 31, at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, as quarterback LaNorris Sellers accounted for five touchdowns and the defense smothered the Sooners for three quarters.

It was South Carolina’s third straight win. The Gamecocks are now 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, while Oklahoma drops to 4-4 and 2-3.

What was the final score of South Carolina vs. Oklahoma?

South Carolina won 42-25. The Gamecocks led 28-10 at halftime and 35-10 entering the fourth quarter, according to News 9, before Oklahoma added points late against a South Carolina lineup that had pulled Sellers for most of the final period.

The AP reports that South Carolina’s defense held Oklahoma to 118 yards and 10 points through three quarters. In the first half alone, the Sooners managed just 71 yards, per News 9.

How did LaNorris Sellers play?

Sellers completed 19 of 24 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns, and he led South Carolina in rushing with 96 yards and two more scores, according to The State. That’s 397 yards of total offense.

His biggest throws went deep: an 84-yard touchdown pass to DJ Black and a 79-yard score to Mazeo Bennett Jr., per the AP.

It wasn’t flawless. Sellers threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Head coach Shane Beamer said the first one wasn’t the quarterback’s fault because of a breakdown up front, but added of the second, “I’m not really sure what the heck he was throwing on that one, but we’ve got to continue to protect the ball.”

Beamer also said, “He’s playing really well right now, and everybody feeds off that, certainly. … He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

Gamecocks football: 521 yards despite an injury

South Carolina piled up 521 total yards, 307 of them in the first half, and ran for 212 yards as a team, per The State. That came even after starting running back Matt Fuller left in the first quarter with an injury. His status going forward was not detailed in the reports reviewed here.

Jabree Coleman picked up 62 rushing yards, Isaiah Augustave added 31 and Christian Clark ran for a touchdown. Beamer credited offensive coordinator Kendal Briles: “To come in here and put up 521 yards of offense against this defense, not many people have done that.”

What Brent Venables said after the OU football game

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables did not soften his assessment. News 9 reports he called the defeat embarrassing and said South Carolina “out-executed us, outcoached us and out-physicled us for, you know, most of the game.”

He pointed to penalties on Oklahoma’s first three offensive possessions and missed tackles on Sellers, and acknowledged that a defensive call using multiple spies on the quarterback was likely a mistake. Quarterback John Mateer was 7 of 12 for 25 yards at halftime before finishing with 244 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Venables declined to discuss possible staff or quarterback changes. “Right now I’m not ready to say anything like that,” he said, adding: “We’re a better team than what we played tonight.”

Why it matters

For South Carolina, the win extends a three-game streak and puts bowl eligibility within reach with four regular-season games left. For Oklahoma, a .500 record with four games to go raises the pressure on Venables, who said the team would return to work Monday and that he would address more questions Tuesday.

What’s next on the OU football schedule and South Carolina’s?

Both teams have four regular-season games remaining. Check the official South Carolina and Oklahoma football schedules for next week’s opponents, kickoff times and TV channels.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: South Carolina vs. Oklahoma: Gamecocks Lead Sooners 28-10 in Norman Behind LaNorris Sellers (Oct 31)