National reactions to South Carolina's disappointing loss to Oklahoma

On Saturday, South Carolina lost to Oklahoma following an abysmal offensive showing in Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks fell to 3-4 overall and 1-4 in Southeastern Conference play.
There was virtually nothing good from the team’s performance with the ball, as Carolina scored seven points and logged just 224 total yards. The defense would have had to have been perfect to keep USC in the game, and though they battled, they didn’t have their best day, either.
The game was an encapsulation of the season, as the final score read 26-7.
National reactions to the loss were not friendly.
During their instant reaction show on Saturday night, On3’s Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman (mercifully) didn’t spend much time talking about the Gamecocks. However, Staples referred to what happened at Williams-Brice as a “thrashing” and said that Oklahoma “beat the crap out of South Carolina.” At the end of the conversation, Staples added that USC is “one of the worst teams in the SEC.”
The Index Journal‘s Chris Trainor argued that this year’s team might be the most disappointing ever in Columbia. He compared the 2025 Gamecocks to the 2014 team that began the year ranked as the preseason No. 9 team before finishing the year unranked. However, he added that he believed the 2014 squad would handle this year’s group.
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Offensive coordinator Mike Shula had another tough day dialing up plays for South Carolina. The offensive line couldn’t get much push on the ground, either. The offense finished with 54 yards rushing, 49 coming on just two plays. Former 107.5 The Game voice Heath Cline watched the team’s offensive futility and wasn’t impressed with Shula’s decision-making or the team’s blocking at the goal line in the first half.
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Defensively, the Gamecocks battled most of the day. However, it wasn’t a banner day for Clayton White’s unit, especially considering the physical limitations of the injured John Mateer at quarterback for Oklahoma. Carolina had several opportunities to make big plays on defense but couldn’t do it. They also should have gotten off the field more often but allowed the Sooners to convert on 50% of their 3rd down tries. Tulsa World Oklahoma writer Mason Young took notice of those missed chances.
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ESPN’s Booger McFarland contended that the offensive struggles aren’t just on Shula and the offensive line. He also placed some of the blame at the feet of quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Though the Tigers would follow with their own loss to move to 3-4, On3 Clemson writer Larry Williams of Tiger Illustrated couldn’t help but comment on a Gamecock fake punt decision (and lack of execution). The play fooled no one and didn’t work.
Up next, South Carolina will play against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kickoff has been set for 3:30 p.m. ABC will carry the national broadcast, while the ESPN app and ESPN+ will make the action available via streaming.