Oklahoma-South Carolina GameDay Preview: Under the Radar

Sooners who will fly under the radar Saturday against South Carolina: Tyler Keltner ... Jayden Jackson ... Luke Elzinga ... Jake Roberts ... Dasan McCullough ... Zion Kearney

Oklahoma kicker Tyler Keltner / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tyler Keltner

Against one of the SEC’s best defenses, every snap, every possession and certainly every scoring opportunity is going to matter. That means kicker Tyler Keltner is going to have to be ready to adjust his own timing if coach Brent Venables decides at the last second he’d rather have a field goal than go for it on fourth down. That happened last week, and Keltner’s kick on the opening possession seemed rushed. Keltner also was too slow through his pre-kick routine against Tulane and his 50-yard field goal was taken off the board. OU’s offense isn’t going to produce very many touchdowns, but the Sooner defense should create some short-field situations by taking the ball away from turnover-prone South Carolina. Keltner has to cash those in.

— John E. Hoover

Jayden Jackson

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is a turnover machine, something OU’s defense hopes to exploit on Saturday. To maximize those takeaway opportunities, the Sooners need to bottle up running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and put the Gamecocks into obvious passing situations. Enter Jayden Jackson. The true freshman defensive tackle has been disruptive on OU’s interior alongside Da’Jon Terry, Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton. This week needs to be no different. If Jackson can combine with the rest of the defensive line to force South Carolina to take to the skies, the Oklahoma defense will have a chance to set its offense up in plus-territory, which will be essential as Seth Littrell’s group tries to find its way. 

— Ryan Chapman 

Luke Elzinga

Usually the punter is never on the radar at all, unless things aren't going well. The Sooners will need a lot from their defense to win any SEC game at this point, and right now Luke Elzinga has been the defense's secret weapon. He could flip the field enough or even pin the Gamecocks deep a few times to help keep OU in this one until the end no matter how the offense is producing. 

— Dekota Gregory

Jake Roberts

Jake Roberts has quietly been OU’s Pro Football Focus MVP this year. In likely the team’s two least inspiring performances, Roberts was the highest graded player. He scored a 70.5 on Saturday against Texas and an 86.9 against Houston. He’s a big target and doesn’t drop the ball, a young quarterback’s best friend, and as a fifth-year senior on a team down its top five pass-catchers, should be Michael Hawkins’ go-to guy in most short-yardage situations.

— Bryce McKinnis

Dasan McCullough

Dasan McCullough made his return to the field last week but admitted nerves and rust were looming large. Oklahoma needs him to carve out a role early and often, especially to help the defense stop the run. It hasn’t been an issue most of the season, but Texas exploited OU’s defensive line and ran wild against the Sooners. McCullough is a long, athletic player that has been versatile in Brent Venables’ defense for the last year. He needs to be in a role where he can find the ball and make a play. Putting pressure on South Carolina will be a huge factor in Saturday’s game, and McCullough can bring heat off the edge when he blitzes. It’s time for the Sooners to let him loose, and there’s no better time to do it than now. The team’s back is against the wall and needs playmakers to step up.

— Ross Lovelace

Zion Kearney

With a plethora of injuries at the wide receiver position, Oklahoma will need its young pass catchers to step up again this week. After catching four passes for a team-high 45 yards against Texas, 4-star true freshman ZIon Kearney could see an expanded role against South Carolina. An early enrollee, the Houston-area product has been on campus since last spring and should be starting to understand Seth Littrell's offense enough to have a spot in OU's rotation. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Kearney also offers the Sooners' more size than most of the other healthy options in Emmett Jones' receiver room. 

— Randall Sweet