South Carolina Gamecocks pummel Sooners

NORMAN — Oklahoma outgained South Carolina 291 to 254 in total yardage and 19 to 15 in first downs, but fell to the Gamecocks 35-9 last Saturday afternoon at Owen Field.

The Sooners (4-3, 1-3 in Southeastern Conference play) held the Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3) to 74 rushing yards, more than 100 below their season average of 175.3 entering the game, and 1.8 yards per rush, but turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions, resulting in two defensive touchdowns and a 21-0 first-quarter deficit.

South Carolina added a field goal early in the second quarter before OU kicker Zach Schmit converted from 44 yards out with four minutes to play in the half. South Carolina found the end zone one more time to bring a 32-3 lead into the break.

Jackson Arnold hit Brenen Thompson for a 54-yard score midway through the third quarter but a failed two-point attempt kept the score 32-9. Arnold entered the game in the first quarter in relief of starter Michael Hawkins Jr., and completed 18 of his 36 passes for a season-high 225 yards and the lone touchdown.

South Carolina connected on a 33yard field goal with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter for the game’s final three points.

OU’s defense matched its season high with six sacks and a totaled a seasonhigh 11 tackles for loss, but surrendered nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

Danny Stutsman registered a gameleading 16 tackles while Gracen Halton led the team with 1.5 sacks. The Sooners turned the ball over four times and did not generate a takeaway for the first time in a year, breaking a streak of 12 games with at least one takeaway.

Jovantae Barnes rushed for a seasonhigh 70 yards on 17 carries. True freshman wide receiver Jacob Jordan hauled in career-best marks of six catches and 86 yards on eight targets while playing in his second collegiate game. J.J. Hester caught four passes for 44 yards and Thompson finished with 59 yards and the score on his two grabs.

OU will travel to face Mississippi at 11 a.m. next Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

OU Announces Offensive Coordinator Change University of Oklahoma football coach Brent Venables announced Sunday he has made an offensive coaching change.

Venables said he has relieved Seth Littrell of his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach duties. On an interim basis, Joe Jon Finley will continue his role as co-offensive coordinator, taking on primary play-calling responsibilities, with current senior offensive analyst Kevin Johns being elevated to cooffensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“Seth is an all-time great Sooner,” Venables said. “He has a deep love for this university and football program, and has poured his heart and soul into both. Despite that, our performance as an offense this season has not at all lived up to the OU standard, and I felt a change was necessary now.

“The leadership role Joe Jon plays on our team is critical. He has the confidence of our locker room and coaching staff, and I’m thankful to him for taking on this expanded role in the middle of the season. Kevin joined our staff last spring as an offensive analyst after serving as an offensive coordinator for over a decade. He has a wealth of experience coordinating offenses and coaching quarterbacks, and I’m looking forward to the fresh approach he’ll bring and the bigger role he’ll play in offensive game-planning. I’m confident Joe Jon, Kevin and the rest of the offensive staff will work tirelessly to put our players in positions to succeed and make us more effective on that side of the ball.”

Finley, a former OU player and graduate assistant, returned to the Sooners in 2021 as assistant coach for offense and tight ends and H-backs coach. After serving as tight ends coach the last two seasons, he was promoted to co-offensive coordinator last November.

A 1998 Dayton graduate who was a quarterback for the Flyers from 199497, Johns came to OU from Duke where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the last two seasons. Before that, he served in the same capacity at Memphis from 201921, was offensive coordinator and inside receivers and tight ends coach at Texas Tech in 2018, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan in 2017 and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Indiana from 2014-16 (was also cooffensive coordinator and QB/WR coach for the Hoosiers from 2011-13).

Prior to Indiana, Johns spent seven seasons at Northwestern. He was running backs coach from 2004-05, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-07 and passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2008-10. His first full-time stint was at Richmond, where he served as wide receivers coach in 2002 and defensive ends coach in 2003.