No. 13 Oklahoma vs. South Carolina: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

The Oklahoma Sooners take on the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. The Sooners are hoping to right the ship after their 23-6 loss to the Texas Longhorns. South Carolina is coming off of a 20-10 loss to the LSU Tigers.

Last season, the Gamecocks blitzed the Sooners after jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game off three straight turnovers to start the game. Despite the showing in the Cotton Bowl, the Sooners' offense is better than it was a year ago and should be more than capable of picking up a pivotal SEC win.

Lost in the shuffle of the 35-9 win was that the defense sacked quarterback LaNorris Sellers six times and held the Gamecocks to just 254 yards of total offense. Now with a more complete team, there's reason to believe the Sooners can go into Williams-Brice Stadium and get the win.

As we do each week, here are our predictions from the staff here at Sooners Wire.

Oklahoma is the better team

Oklahoma could really use a bounce-back win after last week's disappointment against Texas. An extra week of health for John Mateer would help, but OU still ranks a mediocre 70th in FBS in total offense. South Carolina, which has perhaps the toughest SEC schedule remaining, is also getting pretty desperate for victories lest a bowl chance slips away too quickly. Still, Oklahoma is the superior team, its defense is elite, and that should be enough to carry the day.

Oklahoma 24, South Carolina 14

Eric Bolin, Sooners Wire Contributor

John Mateer has a better week

OU needs to play a lot better than what they showed last week, especially on offense. The Sooners’ inability to run the ball has become a huge problem, and they won’t win many SEC games without a run threat. However, it sounds like John Mateer is healthier this week than he was last week. A full week of practices should help him get back on track, and he’ll probably have to carry a heavy load again on the road. OU’s advantage comes when South Carolina has the ball. Their offense has struggled this year, and Oklahoma’s defense should enjoy a solid day. This game will be won or lost in the trenches, but the Sooners are good enough defensively to get their second SEC win.

Oklahoma 27, South Carolina 14

Aaron Gelvin, Sooners Wire Contributor

Sooners win a close one

The Oklahoma Sooners' defense only allowed one offensive touchdown last week in their loss to Texas. The problem was that OU didn't score an offensive touchdown. This week they're facing a defense that statistically isn't as good as the Longhorns, providing a good opportunity to bounce back.

Still, in a road game, in an early kickoff window, I'm not sold that the Sooners are all of a sudden going to figure it out offensively. They need a run game, and they need their quarterback, John Mateer, to find another level to his play. This feels like a game that the offense will do just enough to get the win.

Defensively, Oklahoma's good enough to play with a Gamecocks team that's last in the SEC in total yards per game and tied for last in scoring offense. It should be another strong defensive effort from the Sooners this Saturday. They just need a little help from the other two phases of the football game.

Oklahoma 20, South Carolina 16

John Williams, Sooners Wire Lead Writer

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Staff Predictions: Oklahoma Sooners vs. South Carolina Gamecocks