South Carolina opens up huge lead over Oklahoma with pair of defensive touchdowns
On Saturday, South Carolina and Oklahoma met on the gridiron for the first time. Heading into the game, the betting market was split. Some outlets viewed the Gamecocks as a slight favorite, while others had the spread favoring the Sooners.
It didn’t take long for Shane Beamer’s team to get out to an early lead.
Oklahoma got the ball first, and quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr. threw a quick interception to All-SEC candidate Nick Emmanwori. USC drove down the field and scored on a Rocket Sanders carry to go up 7-0.
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Then, a couple of snaps later, linebacker Demetrius Knight got to Hawkins after a delayed blitz. As the Gamecocks senior was bringing him down, the ball popped free. Defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway made an athletic play, scooping up the pigskin. As play-by-play man Tom Hart shared on the broadcast, all that was left was for Tonka to truck his way into the end zone.
If that wasn’t a fast enough start for South Carolina football fans, the 14-0 lead became 21-0 just 5:27 into the ball game. For the second time, Hawkins’ pass found the waiting arms of Nick Emmanwori. This time, though, the Irmo, South Carolina native had a convoy in front of him, and he returned the pick for another score.
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Following the three Hawkins turnovers, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables made the decision to bench the true freshman. Because of the move, redshirt freshman 5-star Jackson Arnold, the starter at the beginning of the year, entered the game.
Currently, the Gamecocks still lead 21-0. However, USC has the ball again after forcing a pair of punts and now has a chance to blow the game wide open.
