The Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 2-2 SEC) are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3) to town. Both teams are playing good football in recent weeks and come into the Week 9 tilt with momentum after wins a week ago.
Led by quarterback LaNorris Sellers and defensive end Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks have beaten top-25 opponents Florida and Tennessee in back-to-back games. Oklahoma has alternated wins and losses this season but earned a road win over Mississippi State last weekend.
Once again, it will be up to the Oklahoma defense to slow down one of the better offenses in the SEC. The Gamecocks come into the contest averaging 36.1 points per game, which is good for fifth in the conference. The Sooners'
defense allows just 17.7 points per game, ranking No. 4 in the SEC.
This week marks another opportunity for the Sooners' offense to move the ball, taking on a South Carolina defense that allowed 25.3 points per game. Oklahoma's offense has been trending in a positive direction since the second half of the win over Texas. Can they build on these recent performances and put together another solid performance? We'll find out on Saturday afternoon.
Here's a look at this week's Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
Oklahoma Defense Does It Again
South Carolina is better than Mississippi State at this point in the season, and the Sooners got bailed out last week by Kamario Taylor's injury. That said, the Gamecocks should still have a pretty tough time on offense against the OU defense. If Oklahoma doesn’t turn the ball over and takes it away from South Carolina a couple of times, they can win this game.
Oklahoma 14, South Carolina 13
Aaron Gelvin, Contributor
Sooners Shut Down Sellers
This game will come down to how Oklahoma contains South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Even though South Carolina had a stretch of losing three straight games this season, they’ve since beaten two ranked teams Florida and Tennessee. Sellers has been a big reason why. Like Oklahoma QB John Mateer, Sellers was once a prospect many thought could win the Heisman. That’s because of Sellers' outstanding athleticism, which makes him one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. If Oklahoma is going to win two consecutive games for the first time this season, it’ll be because they slowed Sellers down. Thankfully, Oklahoma has one of the best defensive lines in the country. And they’re going to play a big part in making Sellers uncomfortable, just like last season.
Oklahoma 17, South Carolina 10
James D. Jackson, Contributor
OU Breaking a Trend?
The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t won back-to-back games since defeating the Missouri Tigers and LSU Tigers in back-to-back weeks last season. The Sooners have found some offensive success in the yardage department the past two weeks, but they need to start finishing drives with scores. I think they will do that this week against a pesky South Carolina team. Oklahoma revenges the 35-9 beatdown the last time the Gamecocks were in Norman.
Oklahoma 27, South Carolina 10
Jaron Spor, Contributor
John Mateer, Sooners offense delivers again
The Oklahoma Sooners offense has been better in their last three games than they were in the first four. They've moved the ball with consistency; they've found better balance; and aside from the final five minutes of the fourth quarter against Kentucky, John Mateer has taken care of the ball and managed the game. Against Mississippi State he played with a lot more confidence and in more of a rhythm than we've seen for much of this season. And he builds on that to put together another solid performance on the way to another Oklahoma win.
Oklahoma 24, South Carolina 20
John Williams, Lead Writer
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma vs. South Carolina: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
