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Oklahoma will meet an old assistant for the third straight year Saturday afternoon.
Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks roll into town with both teams coming off hard-fought wins.
The Sooners dispatched the Mississippi State Bulldogs 23-15 in Starkville last weekend, while South Carolina walked Tennessee off with a field goal in Columbia.
Here’s how to take in this weekend’s matchup.
OU emerged victorious in its first trip to Starkville behind another impressive defensive performance.
Brent Venables’ unit pitched a first-half shutout, which gave the offense plenty of time to get in a groove.
John Mateer led a 96-yard touchdown drive right before halftime, and then Tory Blaylock’s 47-yard run sparked a scoring drive to start the second half, which effectively put the game out of reach.
South Carolina notched another win in dramatic fashion.
Tennessee scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 21-17 advantage into halftime, but the Gamecocks allowed only a field goal in the second half.
LaNorris Sellers tied the game with a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:17 remaining, then South Carolina forced a fumble to set up a 48-yard field goal to win.
Sellers is back again to quarterback the Gamecocks. He’s completed 60.7% of his passes, throwing for 1,548 yards and 13 touchdowns, as well as five interceptions. He’s also added 507 yards and four scores on the ground on 85 carries. Running back Matt Fuller leads the rushing attack with 513 yards and five touchdowns on 90 carries.
Dylan Stewart is the talented edge rusher for the Gamecocks, though he’s had an odd season. Linebacker Justin Okoronkwo leads the team with 53 total tackles and defensive linemen Anthony Addison and Tomiwa Durojaiye both have three sacks this year.
The Sooners exacted revenge with a steady victory in Columbia a year ago. Blaylock rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, and Xavier Robinson added 58 yards and another score on 11 carries.
The defense held strong, and Oklahoma strolled to a 26-7 win.
The Sooners and the Gamecocks have split the only two meetings in program history, with each victory going to the road team.
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