OU-South Carolina quick-hit: Sooners falter again
The attitude all week was that OU was 4-2 and not 2-4. OK, so how would the team respond when a lot of the fans were doubting what they were bringing to the table.
We learned Saturday, and it is not good. Not good at all. South Carolina came into Norman and ended this one early. Final score almost doesn’t even register (35-9) because this one was over so early. No hope for OU to come back.
So now the question is, again, where does OU go from here?
Some quick-hit takeaways.
Over and done with early
There is an adage that you can’t lose a game in the first quarter. On this Saturday? You absolutely could. Before you could even blink, it was 21-0 for South Carolina.
The very first play from scrimmage? Interception by Michael Hawkins Jr. And it would only get worse from there.
Hawkins would be strip sacked, fumble recovered and return for a touchdown. Then Hawkins would throw a pick-six.
All the energy in the stadium was gone at that point. Jackson Arnold would take over from that point forward.
To Arnold’s credit, he gave a spirited effort. We’ll see where the QB spot goes from here.
Venables has to answer some tough questions
No other way around it. Head coach Brent Venables is going to be under a tight microscope the rest of the way. Not just the coordinators, but Venables.
Top 10
- 1Hot
Oklahoma fires OC
Seth Littrell out as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, per Sooner Scoop
- 2Trending
Surprise step down
Utah's Andy Ludwig steps down as OC
- 3
Heisman Trophy talk
Ashton Jeanty responds to Travis Hunter
- 4
SEC fines Vols
SEC punishes Tennessee for field storming
- 5
Texas punished
SEC punishes Texas over trash debacle
You can argue about things like the quarterback decision. But a disaster of a fake punt attempt in the second quarter is yet another example of just bad in-game decisions.
They haven’t worked out. Not sure if they’re ever going to turn the corner in that regard. Trying to find a spark, and then the opposite occurs.
Young guys galore
Leaving no stone unturned. OU trotted out names on offense and defense that not many fans even knew existed. Wide receiver Jacob Jordan provided a spark. Devon Jordan was given a shot at cornerback.
Might see a lot of development reps coming in the next five games.
Up next
The second half of the schedule is here. Time to head to Oxford. OU (4-3, 1-3) heads to Ole Miss at 11 a.m. next Saturday. The Rebels are going to be fired up after losing an overtime heartbreaker at LSU last week. Ole Miss had a bye week this weekend.
