Back
Following South Carolina's 42-25 win on the road in Norman against the Sooners, we're here to give out grades for both the players and coaching staff.
Clayton White's defense has gotten better and better over the weeks and arguably may have had their best game to date. Prior to the fourth quarter, where the game was in hand, the Oklahoma drive chart was as follows: punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal, end of half, punt, and punt. The Sooners ran 38 total plays, four of those drives ended in three and outs, only mustered 109 total yards and three points.
The fourth quarter was a bit of a mess, but that can be a result of depth coming in and relaxing after being up so big. Outside of Georgia, the remaining schedule includes the offenses of Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Clemson. If the defense continues to play like this finishing 3-1 is not out of the realm of possibility.
Mazeo Bennett Jr.'s last four SEC games...
— Michael DeBates (@mdebates) November 1, 2026
• 25 catches for 322 yards (12.9 ypc)
• 3 receiving TDs
• 6.3 catches for 80.5 yards per game
• Career-long, 79-yard TD catch in tonight's road win in Norman
• With four regular season games remaining, has already set… pic.twitter.com/YopWldt2q8
Clearly LaNorris Sellers' favorite target of the day, Bennett Jr. led the Gamecocks in receptions, yards, and tied for first in touchdowns with four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. As you can see in the tweet above Bennett has been great in recent weeks for the Gamecocks. Similar to what he was in 2024, he is reliable and someone Sellers can trust in go-to moments.
Starting with the good, Sellers was once again unstoppable with his legs. He led the team with 96 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. But it's not just designed quarterback runs, it's his ability to escape the pocket and make something out of nothing. Oklahoma's defense found this out the hard way in the video below as Sellers was able to evade the pass rush and find Mazeo Bennett Jr. on a 79-yard touchdown.
LaNorris Sellers to Mazeo Bennett. 79-yards touchdown.
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) October 31, 2026
Unreal pic.twitter.com/uyZxk4YCXN
On the day he finished with 397 total yards and five total touchdowns. What drops him to a B is the two interceptions. It did not hurt South Carolina in the matchup against Oklahoma, but it can down the road.
Punters deserve love too, pun intended. Mason Love was only able to punt three times, but he pinned Oklahoma inside the 20. Love made the job of the defense easier when he stepped onto the field on Saturday night. Punters rarely get recognition, but Love deserves it after his night.
After nearly being dead in the water following a loss to Kentucky, this staff has continued to push the right buttons and completely turned this season around. These past three games have proved just that. No matter what the losing streak was this team continues to fight for their coaches.
Against Oklahoma their plan to attack the Sooners on both sides of the ball worked. They were able to dominate on the road and extend their winning streak to three games.