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3 takeaways from South Carolina’s defensive masterclass in win over Oklahoma
By Ethan Stone
Published:
South Carolina is playing great football right now despite a lackluster win-loss record. One step at a time Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks started their domination on the first play and never looked back Saturday, finishing Week 8 with a 35-9 win over the woeful Sooners.
The Gamecocks defense, as we’ll explore, was nearly perfect in Norman. The Sooners benched their starting quarterback just 6 minutes into the game and were only able to total 291 yards of total offense when all was said and done. A good chunk of that production came in the 2nd half when it was already over.
South Carolina is now 4-3 heading into the bye week. Shane Beamer and Co. get No. 25 Texas A&M at home in Columbia in Week 10. To hold you over, here are 3 takeaways from South Carolina’s dominant win over Oklahoma.
Nick Emmanwori is beyond dangerous
This game was all but over after just a few seconds thanks to Nick Emmanwori, who intercepted Michael Hawkins on the very first play of the game. This set the tone for what became a long day for the Sooners offense.
And no, Emmanwori wasn’t done. Not even close. The junior defensive back took an errant Hawkins throw to the house just a few minutes later, sending the freshman QB to the bench just 5 and a half minutes in.
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori with two INT in the first quarter, including a pick six. Was an On3 Outlier back in 2022 on the heels of a huge senior season. Figures to be an early round pick in April https://t.co/08k0LLcIrv pic.twitter.com/d50urK0qCc
— Charles Power (@CharlesPower) October 19, 2024
Emmanwori finished Saturday’s game with 2 interceptions, 11 tackles and a tackle for loss. He’s now up to 4 interceptions on the season, more than any player in the SEC as of 4 p.m. ET. Tied for 2nd place? Jalon Kilgore.
LaNorris Sellers can be inconsistent, but his talent is evident
LaNorris Sellers had a good day at the office. The freshman QB threw for 175 yards on 16/24 passing with one touchdown and 28 yards rushing.
What stood out is not found on the box score, though. Sellers made good decisions with the football against a good Oklahoma defense, but always with opportunity in mind. He was better at keeping his eyes down the field than he had been in the past, and he made some really impressive throws with his feet set, too.
That progress is exactly what the freshman needs moving forward, something the Gamecocks can afford with their safety net of a defense.
Gamecocks continue to win turnover battle
South Carolina forced 4 turnovers on Saturday, but it seemed like the ball was on the ground just about every Oklahoma drive.
As stated earlier, it started at the beginning of the game and permeated throughout. Emmanwori got his, but so did Dylan Stewart, Demetrius Knight and Tonka Hemingway. The trio up front combined for this excellent play to make it 14-0 early:
SCOOP ‘N SCORE. PICK-SIX.
The Gamecock defense is on its A game pic.twitter.com/kmG2UOc5bd
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 19, 2024
Knight was brilliant Saturday especially. He forced a pair of fumbles Saturday and led all tacklers with 11.
In total the Gamecocks forced 4 turnovers, got to the quarterback 9 times and allowed just 46 rushing yards.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
