South Carolina once again let a winnable game slip away, falling 26-7 to No. 14 Oklahoma in another afternoon filled with missed chances, offensive frustration, and defensive lapses.
Midway through the third quarter, Jalon Kilgore had his third near-interception of the day bounce off his fingertips — a moment that perfectly captured the Gamecocks’ season: so close, yet constantly falling short.
Despite being outgained 233 to 109 in the first half, South Carolina trailed by just one score heading into halftime. But Oklahoma took control in the third quarter, pulling away for a decisive win that left Williams-Brice Stadium half-empty and the Gamecocks reeling at 3–4 on the season — with four losses in their last five games.
From the opening drive, South Carolina showed promise. LaNorris Sellers connected on short passes to Nyck Harbor and Rahsul Faison to move the chains, while the offense relied on quick plays to combat Oklahoma’s pressure. Sellers even went a perfect 11-for-11 passing in the first half for 70 yards. But once again, the Gamecocks faltered in the red zone — an issue that’s plagued them all season.
Down inside the Oklahoma 3-yard line, South Carolina ran the ball three straight times and came up empty. Entering the weekend, they ranked last in the SEC and 116th nationally in red-zone efficiency — and Saturday did nothing to change that.
The lone bright spot came late in the first half when Sellers found Nyck Harbor wide open for a 3-yard touchdown — the Gamecocks’ first red-zone passing score of the season.
“We get stuff going, we drive the ball, we really just need to finish,” Sellers said. “The first drive we had down there just kind of stalled. Can’t let that happen.”
Defensively, soft coverage and missed tackles gave Oklahoma plenty of space to operate. The Sooners put together long, methodical drives — including a 13-play, 92-yard touchdown series — while the Gamecocks’ offense sputtered through two straight three-and-outs.
Before halftime, a controversial sequence ended another promising South Carolina drive when tight end Brady Hunt was tackled inbounds as the clock expired. Head coach Shane Beamer later admitted the team mishandled the moment.
“We’ve got to be able to get out of bounds or get the first down,” Beamer said. “If the clock’s running down and we can’t spike it, we’ve got to just run a play. We had the right idea — just didn’t execute.”
After halftime, things unraveled quickly. South Carolina opened with a three-and-out, then gave up a long field goal and a 20-yard touchdown to Isaiah Sategna III that stretched Oklahoma’s lead to 21 points.
From there, the Gamecocks’ offense collapsed entirely — managing just 139 yards through three quarters. Sellers faced relentless pressure, often fleeing the pocket before being sacked. On one brutal fourth-quarter series, he took three sacks on a single drive, including one for a 20-yard loss that left the team facing 4th and 38.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Sellers admitted. “We know we all got stuff to work on. Not just them, but receivers, quarterbacks, running backs — it’s all on us.”
With the game out of reach, freshman Cutter Woods finished the final possessions.
Despite the mounting frustration, safety DQ Smith said the locker room remains united. “We know what kind of team we have, what kind of talent and coaches we have,” Smith said. “We just need to get everybody on the same page, and we’ll be good going down the stretch.”
South Carolina’s next three opponents? Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M — ranked No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 nationally. If the Gamecocks are going to save their season, it has to start now.
