Oklahoma lost 42-25 to South Carolina at Memorial Stadium on Saturday as a home favorite. Per Yahoo Sports, fans chanted for the firing of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle during the game. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford called it another disappointing outing for the John Mateer-Arbuckle pairing, before what he described as a fourth-quarter flurry. Yahoo also ran a piece saying changes could be coming and that Brent Venables has questions to answer about his coaching staff. None of the feed summaries say what those changes would be, and none report a decision.
ESPN's account shows how lopsided the game was before the late rally. South Carolina's defense held Oklahoma to 118 yards and 10 points through three quarters, ESPN reported. The Sooners finished with 359 yards, so about 241 came in the fourth quarter, when they scored 15 points. The box score has South Carolina leading 35-10 after three. Mateer finished 26 of 43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, 5.7 yards per attempt. South Carolina averaged 11.4 per attempt and outgained Oklahoma 521 to 359.
LaNorris Sellers drove that gap. ESPN said he passed for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Our box score adds that he completed 19 of 24 and also ran 13 times for 96 yards and two scores. He threw two interceptions, and South Carolina had three turnovers in all, while the box lists none for Oklahoma. Oklahoma's offense didn't turn those giveaways into points until it was far behind. Sellers has also put the ball on the ground this season, with five fumbles and one lost. Saturday's game didn't add to that.
Yahoo's other pieces widen the blame. Its report card says the Oklahoma defense "has to wear the loss alongside the offense." Another Yahoo column says the Sooners are running out of excuses after reaching the College Football Playoff last year. That framing matters for Venables, because the defense is his own side of the ball and gave up more than 500 yards at home.
Oklahoma is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, 11th in the conference. The loss followed a 23-15 win at Mississippi State on Oct. 24 and a 21-13 home loss to Kentucky on Oct. 17. In the Kentucky game, as on Saturday, the Sooners scored 21 points or fewer in a home defeat. South Carolina is 5-3 and 3-3 in the SEC, ninth in the league, and has won three straight. That run includes a 27-24 win over Tennessee and a 38-19 win at Florida.
Both teams play next on Saturday, Nov. 7. Oklahoma travels to Florida, the same team South Carolina beat by 19 three weeks ago. South Carolina hosts Texas A&M. Venables and Arbuckle have a week to answer the questions Yahoo and CBS raised, and the reporting so far does not say whether anything will change before then.
Discussion