Game Preview: South Carolina

That last game was... ugly. Let's forget about the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma will host an old friend when Shane Beamer brings his Gamecocks to Norman tomorrow. If Oklahoma can win this one, bowl eligibility is almost certain, but it won't be easy. Let's dive into the matchup.

Oklahoma

The Sooners are coming off a blowout 34-3 loss to Texas in week seven. As bad as our offense has looked this season, it hit an all-time low against Texas. See the graphic above for a list of Oklahoma's statistical leaders this season.

The Oklahoma offense is terrible. That's the nicest thing I can say. Four of our top five receivers are ruled out against South Carolina, and the fifth of the group is questionable. Our offensive line is the worst they have been this century. We have no definition of a running game. And to put the icing on the cake, we have a clueless offensive coordinator who would have better luck using the "Ask Madden" feature on the Madden football games than using his own playcalling "expertise." The games after South Carolina are against Ole Miss, Missouri, Maine, Alabama, and LSU, all of whom have better defenses than South Carolina. Oklahoma needs to show they can score tomorrow. Since Michael Hawkins Jr. Took over, offensive turnovers have gone down, but so has offensive scoring. Since Hawkins took over against Tennessee, the Oklahoma offense has scored four touchdowns. We have got to start getting aggressive with the ball. I'm hoping we see a lot of quick slants tomorrow. Get our fast wide receivers open quickly on a slant that gains six to eight yards. Take shots down the field on second and short. Give Michael Hawkins more than one pass play per drive. While scoring has gone down since Hawkins took over, he's averaging more yards per attempt than Jackson Arnold, he has a higher completion percentage, and he has a slightly higher rating. Hawkins is likely still the answer. But for our offense to succeed against South Carolina, we NEED to start getting aggressive with the ball.

The Oklahoma defense is doing a lot of things well. Yes, that second quarter against Texas was bad. But when the offense gives the defense 10 seconds to rest before they're sent back out there, the high level of defense won't be there for all 60 minutes. South Carolina does not have as explosive an offense as Texas, but they're still solid. They love to run the ball and beat you with the play-action right after. The main thing South Carolina can do to beat us is attack us with the play-action pass. Our secondary, while they've been good enough, has not been our strongest unit this year. On top of this, we're down two of our best defensive backs, Kendel Dolby (likely out for the season) and Gentry Williams. LaNorris Sellers has shown he can be incredibly accurate and will find open receivers, but he has also shown he can make mistakes. Oklahoma needs to keep our four-man rush system and focus on the secondary tomorrow. We have an elite pass rush with our defensive line, and they can force Sellers into mistakes that guys like Dez Malone, Robert Spears-Jennings, and Eli Bowen can capitalize on. Finally, we need to be ready to contain LaNorris Sellers. He runs as well as any other quarterback in the country. He can be deadly when he takes off. We'll likely see a lot of zone coverages, so we can have guys close to the line of scrimmage in case he decides to run.

South Carolina

South Carolina is looking to rebound after being a play away from beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa last week. The final score was 27-25 Alabama. See the graphic above for a list of their statistical leaders from this season.

The South Carolina offense is inconsistent. They have a great running back in Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. LaNorris Sellers can fly and pick defenses apart. However, they can't consistently score and are very momentum-based. Their offense doesn't do much if they aren't controlling the momentum. This offense is very run-heavy. Of their 417 plays this season, 267 have been runs (64%). Given their dominant run game, I'd be surprised to see them abandon that tomorrow. We will likely only see them consistently air it out as we get towards the ending periods of the halves. The main play we will see from them is the read option. It might be a more stereotypical read option, there might be a traditional option pitch, or it could move heavily to one side. Shane Beamer runs this offense like throwing is the backup plan. If South Carolina can get moving on the ground, they will not hesitate to break out the play-action pass, hitting any of their deep threats down the field. This offense can sometimes be bad, but they can also be really good when they want.

This South Carolina defense is a unit. They are a dominant force. PFF has them as the ninth-best defense in college football (Oklahoma is twelfth). Their specialty is their pass defense. They have a solid defensive front that knows how to wreak havoc on an offensive line. They also have a secondary that seldom gives up big plays. South Carolina has put out some amazing defensive backs over recent years, and they certainly have a good one with Nick Emmanwori, who leads the team in tackles. They will likely run a scheme similar to Oklahoma's tomorrow: zone pass defense with a four-man rush. If there is anything that could come back to bite them tomorrow, it is their issues tackling. They have had a lot of issues with missed tackles this season. While Oklahoma isn't the best running team, no one can accuse Oklahoma of not being physical. Blue-collar, physical football teams give teams with poor tackling the most trouble. The zone defense will also allow South Carolina to have multiple people around any one ball carrier, so they don't have to worry about one-on-one tackling in the open field.

Prediction

This is one of the most important games of the season. A win tomorrow almost guarantees bowl eligibility, while a loss makes bowl eligibility only a distant possibility. I think we will see Michael Hawkins truly have a breakout game and give Oklahoma their first 200-yard passing performance of the year, just with very little scoring.

South Carolina 10, Oklahoma 20.

Oklahoma Yardage:

• Passing Yards: 190-220

• Rushing Yards: 50-70

• Total Yards: 240-290

South Carolina Yardage:

• Passing Yards: 140-170

• Rushing Yards: 80-100

• Total Yards: 220-270

I'm ready to see Oklahoma get another win and return to the top 25. A convincing win could put us back there. I don't think we will win convincingly, but I believe this is Oklahoma's game to lose. Boomer Sooner!