Oklahoma offense in total disarray; Sooners staking claim as SEC's worst team

Just when you thought Oklahoma's offense couldn't get any worse, it has now reached rock bottom and is still sinking. And so is the Sooners' 2024 season.

Three Oklahoma turnovers in the first three possessions led to a 21-0 deficit within the first five minutes of the game, and South Carolina completely dominated the Sooners in delivering a 35-9 knockout. The loss not only ruined a homecoming weekend at OU, but in all likelihood ended OU's postseason bowl hopes. Four of Oklahoma's five remaining games are against top-25 teams.

It couldn't have been a more disastrous start to the game for Oklahoma, which has now lost three of its last four games and fallen to 4-3 for the season and 1-3 in the SEC.

The Sooners have struggled offensively all season, but this game may be the worst I've seen an Oklahoma team play since the John Blake coaching era in the late 1990s.

Starting quarterback Michael Hawkins' Jr. threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble the first three times Oklahoma had the ball on Saturday. In two starts prior to South Carolina, Hawkins had committed just one turnover. The true freshman quarterback was pulled from the game midway through the opening quarter and replaced by Jackson Arnold, who had started the first four games for the Sooners.

For all intents and purposes, the game was over at halftime. South Carolina tacked on 11 second-quarter points to take a 32-3 lead into halftime. The second half wasn't much better than the first 30 minutes, although just nine combined points were scored as the defenses controlled the flow of the game.

Oklahoma scored its lone touchdown of the game in the third quarter when Arnold connected with WR Brenen Thompson on a 54-yard touchdown pass.

Sooner running back Jovantae Barnes rushed for 70 yards on 17 carries but lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, giving Oklahoma a season-high four turnovers for the game. The Sooners had given up just seven turnovers coming into the game.

Oklahoma quarterbacks were sacked a shocking nine times in the contest, the most by a South Carolina defense in nearly three decades, to go along with 10-plus tackles for loss.

Surprisingly, given the score and the way South Carolina dominated the game right from start, Oklahoma outgained the Gamecocks in total offensive yards, 291 to 254. Sadly, the total yards against South Carolina is tied for the third biggest offensive output of the season by the Sooners.

Coming into this game, the Sooners had won 24 of the last 25 games the week immediately following the annual rivalry game with Texas. It also marks OU's second straight home loss, something that had not happend since 2014.

It's not going to get much better for the Sooners. Next weekend they go on the road against No. 18 Ole Miss.

Four telling takeaways from the loss to South Carolina:

The offensive line reached new level of pathetic vs. South Carolina

There are a number of problems that are contributing to Oklahoma's dramatic drop off in offensive production this season, but by far the biggest factor is the inconsistency and overall poor play on the offensive line. That issue was magnified against a strong and very physical South Carolina defensive front. The Sooner O-line, which began the game with its sixth different combination of starters, was overpowered all day long and was unable to slow down the defensive pressure, resulting in nine quarterback sacks.

Sacks and quarterback pressures and hurries have been a continual problem this season for the Sooners, who ranked 127th out of 134 teams nationally in sacks allowed. OU had allowed 3.3 sacks per game coming into the South Carolina game. On Saturday, OU gave up three times that many.

Sooners have lived by takeaways; Saturday they were buried in turnovers

One of the few positive things Oklahoma has been able to hang its hat on in its first season in the SEC is the play of the defense and the ability to force turnovers. The Sooners entered the South Carolina game tied for sixth nationally with 14 takeaways (8 recovered fumbles and 6 interceptions). On Saturday, they flipped the script. OU recorded zero takeaways from South Carolina, but committed an uncharacteristic four giveaways of their own. The four Oklahoma turnovers resulted in 21 South Carolina points, which ended up being the difference in the game.

True freshman wide receiver steps up

Oklahoma was once again without its five leading receivers, including Deion Burks, who leads the team with 26 catches and three touchdowns. Burks has been out of action since the Sooners fourth game this season against Tennessee with a soft tissue injury. For the past three games, Brent Venables and his offensive coaches have been looking for someone to step up among the young and inexperienced group of receivers they have available on the roster. They may have found that person and more help in the passing game in freshman walk-on Jacob Jordan.

Jordan had yet to make a catch this season, but on Saturday he led the Sooners with six catches for 86 yards. Three of his half-dozen receptions came in one four-play stretch in the second quarter. He also had back-to-back catches in the fourth quarter.

A Sooner quarterback finally throws for 200-plus yards in a game

Hard to believe, given Oklahoma's offensive firepower through the years, but a Sooner quarterback had not gone over 200 yards passing until the seventh game this season. Jackson Arnold, who took over for Michael Hawkins Jr. in the first quarter on Saturday, completed 18 of 36 passes for 225 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Brenen Thompson in the third quarter. This is the first time in a game this season that Oklahoma has produced 200 or more yards through the air.