Game 7 Preview: Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma and South Carolina are far apart from one another when it comes to their College Football Playoff candidacies. The Sooners remain in the running for a national postseason berth, while the Gamecocks will likely be fighting for bowl eligibility for the remainder of the season.

But both squads will share a common mindset heading into this weekend’s matchup, as they look to rebound from defeats they suffered in their most recent games.

Before the game kicks off at 12:45 p.m. on the SEC Network, here’s what Oklahoma brings to the table.

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How they got here

The Sooners’ loss came in one of its most important games of the season, the Red River Rivalry against Texas. The Longhorns, who were unranked last week after a disappointing start to the campaign, defeated then-No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6. The Sooners’ defense proved unable to kill drives — Texas went 10-for-17 on third-down conversion attempts — and their offense stalled, as John Mateer threw three interceptions in his first game back from hand surgery.

That contest remains the lone blemish on Oklahoma’s resume. Otherwise, the Sooners’ play on both sides of the football has been efficient in the early going.

Three of Oklahoma’s five previous victories have come in dominant fashion over Illinois State (35-3 on Aug. 30), Temple (42-3 on Sept. 13) and Kent State (44-0 on Oct. 4). Sandwiched between those games are two narrow wins over strong Power Four competition in Michigan (24-13 on Sept. 6) and Auburn (24-17 on Sept. 20).

Last time out

South Carolina will be looking to repeat history on Saturday. And given its propensity for scoring non-offensive touchdowns in 2025, there is a chance it could.

The Gamecocks built a massive lead early in last year’s game by capitalizing on the Sooners’ mistakes. After Raheim Sanders scored a rushing touchdown on the opening drive, Michael Hawkins coughed up a fumble that Tonka Hemingway returned 36 yards for a touchdown. Hawkens then threw an interception to Nick Emmanwori, who scored on a 65-yard return, during Oklahoma’s next possession.

Emmanwori’s score put South Carolina up 21-0 just over five minutes into the contest. The Gamecocks coasted the rest of the way en route to a 35-9 victory, which kickstarted their six-game winning streak to end the 2024 campaign.

Where they sit in the rankings

The Sooners are ranked in both the AP and US LBM Coaches polls. Oklahoma is currently No. 14 in the AP poll after falling eight spots from last week and receiving 786 votes. The US LBM Coaches poll pegged the Sooners as the No. 13 team in the country with 781 votes.

In ESPN’s College Football Power Index (FPI), Oklahoma is ranked No. 20 with a 14.4 FPI. Its projected record is 7-7-4.3. The team has an 97.6 percent chance of winning six games, a 0.9 percent chance of winning the SEC and a 24.4 percent chance of reaching the College Football Playoff this season.

In ESPN’s SP+ rankings, the Sooners check in at No. 6 with a rating of 21.5.

Oklahoma sits 15th in the Massey Ratings. It ranks 42nd in offense and 10th in defense.

ESPN gives the Sooners a 54.9 percent chance to win this weekend. Oklahoma heads into the contest as 4.5-point favorites, according to ESPN BET Sportsbook.

Players to watch

John Mateer (Redshirt junior, quarterback) — After his Red River Rivalry performance, Mateer is up to six touchdown passes and six interceptions on the year. But he’s been the motor behind the Sooners’ offense since joining the team as a transfer from Washington State. Through five games (he missed one due to a broken hand he suffered against Auburn), he has completed 115 of 179 pass attempts (64.2 percent) for 1,417 yards. Mateer is also Oklahoma’s second-leading rusher, with 195 yards and five scores on 57 carries.

Isaiah Sategna (Redshirt junior, wide receiver) — Mateer’s primary target in the passing game is Sategna, who transferred from Arkansas this offseason. Sategna is on pace to have a career year in his debut campaign with the Sooners, and he currently leads the team in receptions (30), receiving yards (420) and receiving touchdowns (three).

Taylor Wein (Redshirt sophomore, defensive lineman) — After playing primarily on special teams in 2024, Wein has emerged as one of Oklahoma’s top pass rushers in his third collegiate season. He is tied for second in the conference with 8.5 tackles for loss; he has accumulated at least one in four straight games. Wein is also second on the team in sacks (3.5) and has logged 19 total tackles and two quarterback hits this year.

Path to victory

The Sooners’ Red River Rivalry defeat to Texas indirectly helped South Carolina in multiple ways. Not only will Oklahoma head into this matchup with significantly more pressure to get a win before a tough remaining schedule (top-20 matchups against Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and LSU will follow Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks), but it will also look to address a glaring weakness — the fact that their offense is severely limited if opposing defenses can stop the run — that was exploited by the Longhorns last week.

The Sooners ran the ball 30 times against Texas; including lost yardage on sacks, they finished with just 48 yards. Mateer, a dynamic dual-threat weapon, was limited to five yards on 14 attempts. If South Carolina’s defense can replicate the Longhorns’ ability to shut down Mateer and Oklahoma’s running backs, there’s a good chance it can keep the Sooners’ entire offense at bay.

Gaining a quick lead, much like it did in last year’s meeting between the two teams, could also put the odds of winning further in the home team’s favor. Oklahoma’s defense has been one of the country’s best this season, leading the SEC in points allowed per game (9.8). A soft non-conference schedule has played a role in that number being as low as it is, but keeping the Sooners on their heels will only make that number grow. Playing from behind coud also force Mateer to be more mistake-prone, as he was last week against Texas.

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