After a disappointing 34-3 loss to Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners faced an uphill battle as they returned home to take on South Carolina. In his weekly press conference, head coach Brent Venables was asked about the possibility of playing two quarterbacks in the same game. He replied, “I’m certainly not immune to anything… I would certainly not put it out of the realm of possibility in the future.”

It didn’t take long for Venables to put this strategy into action. Starting quarterback Michael Hawkins opened the game but quickly fell into trouble, throwing an interception that led to a touchdown, followed by a fumble returned for another score, and a pick-six. These three turnovers in as many drives prompted Oklahoma to swiftly revert to Jackson Arnold.

With the Sooners trailing 21-0 just over nine minutes into the first quarter, the offense needed to respond urgently or risk an even worse outcome. Unfortunately, things only deteriorated further. In an effort to spark a revival, Oklahoma brought in walk-on freshman wide receiver Jacob Jordan, who made an immediate impact with three catches for 42 yards, helping the Sooners finally get on the board with a 44-yard field goal from Zach Schmit.

While the defense showed some resilience—most notably during a fake punt that placed them in a difficult situation—they ultimately surrendered a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter. By halftime, the Sooners found themselves staring at a daunting 32-3 deficit, the largest home halftime margin since the John Blake era when they trailed Texas A&M 34-0 in 1997.

In the third quarter, Arnold connected with Brenen Thompson for a 54-yard touchdown pass, marking Oklahoma’s first touchdown since September 28, when Kip Lewis scored on a pick-six. This also marked the first touchdown by an OU wide receiver since Thompson’s catch on September 7 against Houston.

However, the offensive line's performance was dismal, allowing nine sacks—the most for South Carolina since 1996. Both Hawkins and Arnold struggled to find rhythm as the offensive line resembled a revolving door. A host of players—including Jacob Sexton, Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett, Febechi Nwaiwu, Jake Taylor, Michael Tarquin, Spencer Brown, and Logan Howland—logged snaps but couldn’t provide the necessary protection.

The Sooners ultimately suffered a 35-9 defeat, dropping their record to 4-3 overall and 1-4 in SEC play. This loss marks the first time since 1998 that Oklahoma has failed to score over 10 points in back-to-back games.

Arnold completed 18 of 34 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown, while Jovantae Barnes led the ground attack with 17 carries for 70 yards. Jacob Jordan, catching his first pass of the season, emerged as the leading receiver with six receptions for 86 yards—the most by any OU receiver this season.

On the defensive side, Danny Stutsman stood out with 16 tackles, and Jayden Jackson, Adepoju Adebawore, and Ethan Downs each contributed with a sack.

Looking ahead, the Sooners will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, October 26th, at 11 a.m.