The Number One Key to a Win For South Carolina vs Oklahoma

Joseph Griffin, Joseph Griffin | Oct 16, 2024

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) escapes pressure from the Alabama Crimson Tide as he scrambles during the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images / Butch Dill-Imagn Images

The South Carolina Gamecocks are back on the road this weekend as they head to Norman, Oklahoma for the first time ever, as these now SEC Foes have never faced off in their program's histories.

South Carolina is looking to get back in the win column and get their second SEC Win of the season. It's been a hard fought SEC slate for the Gamecocks. They've experienced one-score losses to two top-10 opponents already this season. Saturday, they may not face another top-10 football team in Oklahoma, but they will certainly face a top-10 defense on the Sooners side.

Number One Key to a Win - Don't Let Oklahoma's Defense Win It

This Oklahoma offense has been nothing short of anemic this season. They are ranked 128th in Yards Per Play, 123rd Yards Per Game. They can't run it, 105th in Rushing Yards Per Attempt. They can't throw it, 122nd in Passing Yards Per Attempt. You find an offensive stat, Oklahoma's on the very bottom of the list.

It's the worst offense in the SEC. On five different occasions against Texas in the Red River Rivalry, the Longhorns started offensive possessions inside the Oklahoma 45-yard line due to the fact that not only couldn't Oklahoma move the football, they couldn't avoid negative plays and penalties. They allowed 5.0 sacks a week ago, a slight increase on the 3.2 sacks per game average that South Carolina's defense has maintained this season, good enough for 10th in CFB.

This Oklahoma offense is bad, I think you get that now. However, their defense is good enough and creates enough turnovers to create problems for any opponent on the right day. Oklahoma leads the SEC in takeaways per game, averaging 2.3 per. It's a bad matchup for South Carolina in the sesnse that they've been a turnover prone football team to this point in the season. They are dead last in turnovers per game offensively at 2.0 turnovers per game.

If South Carolina can't avoid a turnover, they can't afford for it to happen in their own end of the field and certainly can't afford a return for a TD. This Oklahoma offense needs all the help it can get, and handing them points is a good way to do it.

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