Game Day, October 19, 2024 by ntranscript

gameday

October 19, 2024

The View, G3 | Gameday Info, G4 Player Spotlight, G5 | Scouting the Opponent, G6 Things to Watch, G7 | White Out Week, G8

Gameday

Step 1

Ingredients

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

Texas Breakfast Tacos Texas Breakfast Tacos

Stir together paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chile powder, and 3 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl. Rub mixture evenly all over brisket. Arrange onion slices in bottom of a slow cooker; place brisket, fat cap side up, on top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Step 2

Remove brisket from slow cooker; discard onion, or reserve for tacos or another use. Let brisket stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Cut brisket across the grain into about 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cover to keep warm.

Step 3

Whisk together eggs, milk, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until well blended. Pour mixture into a large nonstick skillet; add butter pieces. Cook over medium-low, stirring often with a silicone spatula, until egg curds are set but remain tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 4

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese onto each tortilla; top each with a scant 1/4 cup scrambled eggs. Divide brisket evenly among tacos; top evenly with pico de gallo (about 1 tablespoon each), and serve.

https://www.southernliving.com/texas-breakfast-tacos-7506223

1 (2 1/2-lb.) beef brisket, fat cap trimmed to 1/4- to 1/2-in. thickness

1 large (about 11 oz.) white onion, cut into about 1/2-in.-thick slices

12 large eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup (2 oz.) unsalted butter, cut evenly into 4 pieces

2 cups Colby-Jack cheese, shredded (about 8 oz.)

16 (6-in.) flour tortillas

1 cup fresh pico de gallo

ThingstowatchintheSEC:

Pair of ranked matchups could determine playoff prospects

GARY B. GRAVES ASSOCIATED PRESS

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0), 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ABC)

The college football powerhouses square off for the first time as SEC members, with both top-10 schools looking to boost their conference standing as the initial rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff draw near next month. The Longhorns are tied with No. 8 LSU at 2-0 with both just a halfgame behind first-place and No. 14 Texas A&M in the win column. The Bulldogs also have three league wins but are a half-game back in the loss column.

Texas is 6-0 for the first time since 2009 and coming off last week’s 34-3 blowout in Dallas of rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns have cruised in

Jeffrey McWhorter | Associated Press

Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (9) is stripped of the ball by Texas in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. See WATCH on G10

AUBURN

WR Jared Brown — Out

DB Jalewis Solomon — Out

DB Kelvin Hunter — Out

OL Jakai Moore — Out

DT DeAndre Jules — Out

WR Payton Mangrum — Probable

21 Xavier Robinson RB 6-0 222 Fr.

22 Peyton Bowen DB 6-0 200 So

22 Chapman McKown RB 5-5 174 R-Fr.

23 Eli Bowen DB 5-9 186 Fr.

23 Emeka Megwa RB 6-0 211 R-Jr.

24 Samuel Omosigho LB 6-2 236 So.

25 Andy Bass RB 5-11 208 Fr.

25 Michael Boganowski DB 6-2 211 Fr.

26 Kani Walker DB 6-2 205 R-Jr.

27 Jayden Rowe DB 6-2 223 R-So.

27 Gavin Sawchuk RB 5-11 200 R-So.

28 KJ Daniels WR 5-9 152 Fr.

28 Danny Stutsman LB 6-4 241 Sr.

29 Casen Calmus DB 5-10 196 R-Fr.

29 Gabe Sawchuk RB 5-10 185 Fr.

30 Trace Ford DL 6-2 246 R-Sr.

31 Cale Fugate DB 5-10 190 R-Fr.

31 Ashton Logan P 6-2 217 R-So.

32 R Mason Thomas DL 6-2 240 Jr.

33 Phil Picciotti LB 6-3 239 R-Fr.

34 Adepoju Adebawore DL 6-4 251 So.

34 Zach Schmit K/P 5-10 196 R-Sr.

35 Liam Evans K 5-7 181 Fr.

35 Jakeb Snyder DB 5-8 180 R-Fr.

36 Josh Plaster K/P 6-0 187 R-Sr.

38 Owen Heinecke LB 6-2 227 R-So.

39 Peter Schuh DB 5-8 184 R-So.

40 Ethan Downs DL 6-4 265 Sr.

41 Emmett Jones III DB 6-0 182 R-Fr.

42 Wyatt Gilmore DL 6-4 245 Fr.

44 Taylor Wein DL 6-4 267 R-Fr.

45 Hampton Fay TE 6-5 245 R-Jr.

45 Mykel Patterson-McDonald DB 5-10 172 Fr.

46 Dax Noles DB 6-0 192 Fr.

47 James Nesta LB 6-3 216 Fr.

48 Luke Elzinga P 6-4 229 R-Sr.

48 Jocelyn Malaska DB 6-1 186 R-So.

50 Ben Anderson LS 6-5 240 R-So.

51 Branson Hickman OL 6-2 301 R-Sr.

52 Troy Everett OL 6-3 308 R-Jr.

52 Damonic Williams DL 6-1 319 Jr.

54 Febechi Nwaiwu OL 6-4 339 R-Jr.

55 Eddy Pierre-Louis OL 6-3 305 Fr.

AVAILABILITY REPORT

OKLAHOMA

WR Jayden Gibson — Out

WR Jalil Farooq — Out

WR Nic Anderson — Out

WR Andrel Anthony — Out

DB Gentry Williams — Out

DB Kendel Dolby — Out

55 Ashton Sanders DL 6-1 295 R-Fr.

56 Eugene Brooks OL 6-3 336 Fr.

56 Gracen Halton DL 6-2 291 Jr.

57 Gunnar Allen OL 6-0 297 R-So.

58 Spencer Brown OL 6-6 321 R-Sr.

58 Ethan Lane LS 5-11 230 R-Sr.

61 Kenneth Wermy OL 6-5 305 R-Fr.

64 Joshua Bates OL 6-3 309 R-Fr.

65 Jayden Jackson DL 6-2 300 Fr.

65 Ty Kubicek OL 6-2 294 R-Fr.

66 Geirean Hatchett OL 6-5 312 R-Sr.

70 Michael Tarquin OL 6-6 317 R-Sr

71 Logan Howland OL 6-6 317 R-Fr.

72 Josh Aisosa OL 6-3 323 Fr.

73 Isaiah Autry-Dent OL 6-6 310 Fr.

74 Evan McClure OL 6-4 275 Fr.

75 Daniel Akinkunmi OL 6-6 321 Fr.

76 Jacob Sexton OL 6-6 322 Jr.

77 Heath Ozaeta OL 6-5 318 R-Fr.

79 Jake Taylor OL 6-6 309 R-So.

80 Josh Fanuiel TE 6-3 250 R-Jr.

80 Bergin Kysar DL 6-3 245 Fr.

81 Zion Ragins WR 5-8 145 Fr.

82 Ivan Carreon WR 6-6 223 Fr.

83 Major Melson WR 5-10 187 R-Sr. 84

OL Geirean Hatchett — Out

TE Kade McIntyre — Doubtful

RB Sam Franklin — Doubtful

WR Deion Burks — Questionable

Thursday’s report

OU Two-Deep Roster

‘Absolute baller’

Freshman Eli Bowen shines amid history-making first career start

TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT SPORTS EDITOR

A lot of the praise surrounding Oklahoma’s defense this season has been focused on the team’s leadership and experience.

However, while the Sooners were forced to lean on their defense last week in the Cotton Bowl, it was a true freshman that led the way. Eli Bowen earned his first career start, joining brother Peyton to become the first sibling duo to start a game for the Sooners’ defense since the Selmon brothers did it in 1975.

There were few bright spots in the Sooners’ 34-3 drumming courtesy of their Red River rivals, but Eli wasn’t certainly still one of them.

“He had the best game on the defense, I’ll say right now,” safety Robert SpearsJennings said. “All that work that he put in from fall, spring, all that is showing now and this is just a little glimpse of Eli.”

The true freshman led the

SEC Standings

Team SEC Overall

Texas A&M 3-0 5-1

LSU 2-0 5-1

Texas 2-0 6-0

Georgia 3-1 5-1

Alabama 2-1 5-1

Arkansas 2-1 4-2

Tennessee 2-1 5-1

Vanderbilt 2-1 4-2

team with eight tackles in his debut start. In the third quarter he was targeted on a deep ball into the end zone and was in great position to keep the ball away from a taller receiver.

In the second quarter Quinn Ewers hit DeAndre Moore Jr. on a short pass to the flat and Bowen closed quickly to bring him down for a 1-yard loss. Five of his eight tackles were solo tackles, which was the second-most of any player in Saturday’s game.

“I try to do all I could every time I come on the field,” Bowen said. “I felt

Missouri 1-1 5-1

Florida 1-2 3-3

Ole Miss 1-2 5-2

Oklahoma 1-2 4-2

Kentucky 1-3 3-3

South Carolina 1-3 3-3

Auburn 0-3 2-4

Mississippi State 0-4 1-5

like I did that today. The ball didn’t roll our way.” It hasn’t taken long for the young defensive back to transition to making plays at the collegiate level, but few on the team are surprised. Last year it was his brother that showed off his big-play potential early in his freshmen season.

Peyton ended up playing all 13 games last season with two starts and has started all but two games this season.

Eli (5-9, 187) is smaller than older brother Peyton

Morgan Givens | University of Oklahoma Oklahoma defensive back Eli Bowen (23) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Scouting the opponent: South Carolina Gamecocks

DAVIS CORDOVA CNHI SPORTS OKLAHOMA

Beamer ball is coming (back) to Norman.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer will return to Norman on Saturday for the first time since 2020 when the Gamecocks play the Sooners at 11:45 a.m. in Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Beamer, the son of legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, was the Sooners’ assistant head coach and tight ends coach from 20182020 before accepting the South Carolina job.

The Gamecocks enter Saturday’s game off of a heartbreaking loss in one of the most hostile environments in the country.

Last week, South Carolina lost 27-25 at No. 7 Alabama in the final seconds. The Gamecocks entered the fourth quarter with a fivepoint lead, then a fumble led to Alabama scoring early in the quarter.

Alabama thought it had secured the win after a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining to put the score at 27-19, but the Gamecocks were not done.

South Carolina drove down the field and scored a touchdown with 43 seconds left,

1st Meeting All-Time

Other P4 teams

OU hasn’t faced

Mississippi State (SEC)

Georgia Tech (ACC)

Michigan State (Big Ten)

Purdue (Big Ten)

Rutgers (Big Ten)

but failed the two-point conversion.

The Gamecocks recovered an onside kick to potentially win the game, but three plays later, the Gamecocks threw an interception that ended the game.

South Carolina is 3-3 with a 1-3 SEC record, but its three losses are to ranked opponents — No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 LSU and No. 18 Ole Miss. The Gamecocks also had a dominating win at Kentucky in Week 2, winning 31-6.

The Gamecocks have had struggles with consistency — much like the Sooners — but have shown they are strong on both sides of the ball.

Here’s a breakdown of the Gamecocks’ offense and defense:

OFFENSE

The Gamecocks have a

more opportunities to get to the quarterback for impactful plays.

OU coach Brent Venables said South Carolina’s offense wasn’t impressive last year, but have improved to be a threat in the SEC.

“They were not good a year ago on offense,” Venables said. “They have improved as the year has gone on, that’s what I’ve watched. They’ve already rushed for more yards this year than they did total yards last year, so they’ve got “Rocket” Sanders in the portal and have gotten better as the season has gone on.”

DEFENSE

rocket on offense.

No, really, they have Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who leads the team at running back and is the driving force of South Carolina’s offense.

Sanders has rushed for 393 yards and five touchdowns this season. Sanders is one of the best running backs in the SEC and is on the Doak Walker Award watch list, given to the best running

back each season.

Sanders is part of a dynamic backfield led by quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who is a scrambling quarterback. Sellers has a 62.1% completion rate with 793 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and four interceptions along with 219 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Sellers is in the middle of the pack in terms of SEC

quarterbacks and has thrown an interception in each of his last four starts — all against SEC defenses.

The offensive line, though, is one of SC’s weakest links.

The Gamecocks are last in FBS in sacks allowed, giving up an astonishing 26 sacks in six games.

The Sooners are tied-10th in the nation in sacks per game with more than three per game and look to have

A couple of NFL-bound defensive ends are leading the Gamecocks’ defense. Defensive ends Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart are a force on the edge and will be a large factor on Saturday. Kennard, a senior, leads the team and is fourth in the nation in sacks with 7.5 this season. He’s a lot to handle at 6-foot-5, 256 pounds and has forced two fumbles on the season.

On the other end of the defensive line stands a true freshman wreaking havoc on opposing offensive tackles. Freshman Dylan Stewart

Transcript File Photo

Oklahoma assistant head coach Shane Beamer watches the team during a 2019 game against Kansas State on Oct. 26 in in Manhattan, Kansas.

DAVIS CORDOVA CNHI SPORTS OKLAHOMA

1. SOONERS’ PASS RUSH

South Carolina’s pass blocking is bad.

The Gamecocks are last in the country in allowed sacks, giving up 26 sacks this season – two more than the next team.

The Gamecocks also have given up 49 tackles for loss, which is also near the bottom in the country.

For Oklahoma, getting to the quarterback will be essential for success on Saturday, especially with South Carolina’s recent failure at protecting the backfield.

OU is tied for 10th in sacks with 19 this season and will be calling upon its top sack leaders such as defensive end R Mason Thomas, who has 5.5 sacks this season, and defensive lineman Gracen Halton, who has 2.5 sacks so far.

South Carolina has an improved offense that outgained Alabama last week by 61 yards in a narrow loss to the Crimson Tide 27-25.

OU’s defense averages 3.17 sacks per game while South Carolina gives up 4.33 per game, which creates a perfect scenario for the Sooners to apply pressure and get gamechanging defensive plays in

3 THINGS TO WATCH

the backfield on Saturday.

2. CONTAINING SELLERS

OU’s defense will get its first test against a scrambling quarterback on Saturday.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers has 793 passing yards on a 62.1% completion rate of his passes along with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Sellers on the ground has 219 rushing yards for three touchdowns on 71 carries.

Sellers is by no means the best dual-threat quarterback the Sooners will face this season, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe visits town soon, but Sellers has the capability to attack the Sooners’ defense in more ways than one.

3. OFFENSE PROGRESSING?

It’s no secret OU’s offense has struggled to find success this season and will be, more than likely, without its top five wide receivers again on Saturday, but the Sooners will need to find ways to move the ball in order to get a win against South Carolina.

OU coach Brent Venables said leading receiver Deion Burks is “working to defy all odds” to play on Saturday, which is not a good sign for the Sooners, who will also be without wide receivers Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq,

Andrel Anthony and Jayden Gibson against South Carolina.

Last week without its top five receivers, freshman receiver Zion Kearney led the team with four receptions for 45 yards. The Sooners were only able to get 145 passing yards against Texas last week and scored just three points. Texas has the second-best pass defense, but South Carolina is not far behind, sitting at 39th in the country in pass defense.

It’s unknown if OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will get more opportunities to throw it down the field against South Carolina, but he will, at least, have another weapon back in the backfield. Freshman running back Taylor Tatum missed the Auburn game due to an undisclosed injury and played just 18 snaps in the Texas game, rushing twice for 17 yards and a lost fumble.

Tatum is OU’s third-string running back behind Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuck and has 20 rushes for 133 yards on the season. With the struggles of health plaguing the wide receivers and OU’s inability to move the ball this season, there could be a larger role for Tatum, who has shown flashes of dynamic playmaking in his few snaps this season.

5 NUMBERS TO KNOW

TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT SPORTS EDITOR

Oklahoma was able to find some continuity in its offensive line last week against Texas. The Sooners used five different starting lineups up front over the first five games of the season before last week. Michael Tarquin (left tackle), Jacob Sexton (left guard), Branson Hickman (center), Febechi Nwaiwu (right guard) and Jake Taylor (right guard) appear to be the Sooners’ starting five moving forward.

The Sooners have lost to Texas nine times in the Cotton Bowl since the turn of the century and have turned around to win their next one all nine times. They’re 24-1 during that stretch in the game following the Texas game with their lone loss coming in 2014 (31-30 to Kansas State).

200

The last time Oklahoma went this far into the season without having a quarterback throw for 200 yards once was 1998, per WWLS radio Mark Rodgers. Last week against Texas the Sooners finished with a sea-

Jeffrey Mcwhorter | Associated Press Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables, center, watches play against Texas late in an NCAA college football game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 12.

son-low 148 yards passing and didn’t reach the century mark until the fourth quarter. Michael Hawkins Jr. has avoided throwing interceptions through his first two career starts, but is completing 62% of his passes and has taken 10 sacks.

Billy Bowman made his 11th career interception last week against Texas and is currently tied for fourth among active FBS players. Louisville’s Quincy Riley leads the way with 14, but has taken six seasons to get there. Bowman has played at least one less season than all three of the players above him on the list. The Sooners have six interceptions this season and Bowman (two) is the only one with multiple.

It’s a concerning sign that the only one team in the FBS that has created fewer plays of longer than 20 yards than Oklahoma is currently 0-6 overall. It isn’t a sustainable way to play offense. The Sooners have ran 385 plays so far this season. Just over 11% of those plays (43) had the offense moving backwards from tackles for losses allowed alone. Meanwhile, 13, or 3.3%, have gone for more than 20 yards. The Gamecocks have allowed just 22 explosive plays this season which is ranked 39th nationally. OU has scored just four offensive touchdowns since the start of SEC play and three of those have come in the fourth quarter.

OUcallsonfanstowhiteout stadiumagainstSouthCarolina

TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Fans attending Saturday’s game are encouraged to help white-out Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

This is the first time the program has done a white out since the 2019 season opener against Houston. Also, as part of the program’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the stadium, the game will have a theme like all other home games this year.

The South Carolina game theme is named “Sooner Magic Moments.” Throughout the weekend, the Sooners will honor OU’s most memorable comebacks, improbable

wins and historic moments.

Oklahoma’s final two games will be themed “FanFavorite Moments” (Maine) and “the Bob Stoops Era” (Alabama).

Fans are encouraged to submit their favorite moments at Memorial Stadium by emailing gmfos100@ou.edu.

Some of those submissions will be featured online or in the stadium during the game against Maine.

The Sooners are 421-8715 all-time at the stadium and South Carolina will be the 95th team to face the Sooners. The following week against Maine, the Black Bears will become No. 96.

SECpowerswithonelossfacepivotal gamesintheirbidsforplayoffspots

ERIC OLSON AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER

Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee all entered the season with high hopes, if not expectations, of mak-

<child_ﬂags:ap><child_photoCredit>Jason

ing the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Each has one loss, and three of the four could have two after Saturday. A Southeastern Conference team with two losses would not be

tion, but its margin for error would be razor thin.

No. 5 Georgia has a big opportunity at No. 1 Texas on Saturday night. A win

and cushions the blow of their loss to Alabama. A loss to the Longhorns, depending on what it looks like, would not be insurmountable with matchups against Tennessee

Jason Allen | Associated Press

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) calls an audible during an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 12, in Athens, Ga. on G10

Kyle Phillips | The Transcript

OU drum major Paxton Leaf srtuts on the ﬁeld during the Sooners’ game against Houston, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Oklahoma defensive back Eli Bowen (23) stands with the defense to start practice, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at the Everest Training Center.

SPOTLIGHT

CONTINUED FROM G5

(6-0, 190), but can cover taller receivers with his athleticism, instincts and confidence.

Though Eli had a lower ranking coming out of high school (four-star or threestar by major recruiting sites) than Peyton (a five or four-star by most sites), those around the team have been expecting Eli to have a similar breakout.

“Absolute baller. I can’t say enough about how he plays, how he tackles in space, how he covers with confidence,” defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “Just a really spe-

cial, special young man and he’s got a great future.”

After sitting out the first two games, Eli made his first appearance against Tulane and had two tackles with a pass break up the following week against Tennessee. He has 12 total tackles (nine unassisted) and one tackle for loss.

Bowen took over the starting job that has typically belonged to Dez Malone, but both players saw the field on Saturday.

Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com

OPPONENT

CONTINUED FROM G6

is quick and powerful off the edge with 3.5 sacks and 12 tackles this season.

The Gamecocks defensive secondary is also among the nation’s best.

South Carolina is tied for 13th in the country in team interceptions with eight and

is led by defensive back Jalon Kilgore with three and two other defensive backs with two each.

The defense is the team’s best strength, ranking 20th in total defense in the country. The Gamecocks were able to limit Alabama’s dynamic offense to just 300 total yards and 27 points.

So far, OU has played three of the top 20 defenses in the

No. 1 Texas 34, Oklahoma 3

Texas 0 21 3 10 — 34

Oklahoma 3 0 0 0 — 3

First Quarter

OKLA — FG Keltner 42, :10.

Second Quarter

TEX — Helm 7 pass from Ewers (Auburn kick), 11:20.

TEX — Bolden 0 run (Auburn kick), 2:21.

TEX — Wisner 43 run (Auburn kick), 1:40.

Third Quarter

TEX — FG Auburn 41, 1:01.

Fourth Quarter

TEX — FG Auburn 29, 7:44.

TEX — Ewers 1 run (Auburn kick), 5:21. A — 92,100.

TEX OKLA

First Downs 17 18

Total Net Yards 406 237

Rushes-yards 30-177 39-89

Passing 229 148

Punt Returns 4-70 2-19

Kickoff Returns 0-0 3-52

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-0

Comp-Att-Int 21-31-1 19-30-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 5-29

Punts 3-44.333 6-47.667

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-2

Penalties-Yards 5-57 7-49

Time of Possession 27:53 32:07

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Texas, Wisner 13-118, Blue 10-30, Wingo 1-25, Ewers 4-3, Gibson 2-1. Oklahoma, Barnes 14-38, Hawkins 20-27, Tatum 2-17, Gav.Sawchuk 2-9, (Team) 1-(minus 2).

PASSING — Texas, Ewers 20-29-1-199, Golden 1-2-0-30. Oklahoma, Hawkins 19-30-0-148.

RECEIVING — Texas, Helm 5-91, Wisner 4-12, D.Moore 3-25, Blue 3-18, Wingo 2-49, Golden 1-23, Bond 1-5, Bolden 1-3, Davis 1-3. Oklahoma, Kearney 4-45, Sharp 3-21, B.Thompson 3-19, Robinson 2-12, Carreon 1-12, Roberts 1-12, Gav. Sawchuk 1-7, Barnes 1-6, Pettaway 1-6, Hester 1-4, Tatum 1-4. MISSED FIELD GOALS — Texas, Auburn 44. Oklahoma, Keltner 44.

country and will play another one on Saturday. It should be concerning because in those three games, the Sooners have averaged 11.3 points per game and are 1-2 in those games (Texas, Tennessee and Houston).

Venables said the defense for the Gamecocks has been playing at a high level all season long.

“That’s the best defense

I’ve seen them have since I’ve followed them closely,” Venables said. “They are fast, long and they are explosive, disruptive and they are deep. They are playing at a really high level defensively. They had four sacks and nine tackles for loss against highly regarded linemen, backs and tight ends (at Alabama). They are just doing a really good job right now.”

First Quarter

ALA — Milroe 1 run (Nicholson kick), 11:00.

Second Quarter

ALA — Haynes 2 run (Nicholson kick), 4:38. SCAR — Bennett 36 pass from Sellers (Herrera kick), 1:37.

SCAR — safety, 1:28.

SCAR — FG Herrera 37, :00.

Third Quarter

SCAR — R.Sanders 1 run (Herrera kick), 6:20.

Fourth Quarter

ALA — Milroe 7 run (pass failed), 10:42. ALA — Bernard 34 pass from Milroe (Nicholson kick), 1:54. SCAR — Harbor 31 pass from Sellers (pass failed), :43. A — 100,077. SCAR ALA

Yards

Interceptions Ret. 2-31 1-38

Comp-Att-Int 24-32-1 16-23-2

Lost 4-26

Penalties-Yards 6-49 7-66

Time of Possession 31:40 28:20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — South Carolina, R.Sanders 16-78, Sellers 16-19, Adaway 4-14, Ashford 2-11, Larvadain 1-10. Alabama, Miller 12-42, Milroe 18-36, Haynes 8-26. PASSING — South Carolina, Sellers 23-31-1-238, Ashford 1-1-0-4. Alabama, Milroe 16-23-2-209.

RECEIVING — South Carolina, Simon 5-22, R.Sanders 4-25, Bennett 3-57, Adaway 3-30, Harbor 2-40, Jacobs 2-23, Larvadain 2-20, M.Smith 1-15, Campbell 1-8, Shivers 1-2. Alabama, Bernard 4-89, R.Williams 4-32, Adams 2-57, Haynes 2-16, Dippre 2-(minus 3), Miller 1-13, Cuevas 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS — South Carolina, Herrera 51.

league play since rising to No. 1 last month, dominating lastplace Mississippi State and the Sooners by a 69-16 combined margin. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returned from an abdominal strain to pass for 199 yards and a touchdown along with running for another score, but Texas linebacker Anthony Hill was the star with 11 tackles (seven

SEC

CONTINUED FROM G8

and Mississippi among the remaining games.

No. 7 Alabama’s visit to No. 11 Tennessee does feel like an elimination game. The Crimson Tide’s loss at Vanderbilt is a big smudge on their resume, and their two-point win at home against South Carolina did not impress. Same goes for Tennessee with its loss at Arkansas and overtime win at home against Florida.

No. 8 LSU’s playoff hopes would be in peril if it doesn’t win at Arkansas. Each of the last four meetings has been decided by three points. The Tigers have rebounded from their season-opening loss to a Southern California team that’s hit hard times in the Big Ten. Like Alabama, LSU struggled to defeat South Carolina, and last week the Tigers beat Mississippi in overtime after scoring the tying touchdown with 27

solo), two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the win.

Meanwhile, Georgia jumped all over last-place Mississippi State early before being outscored 21-7 in the second half and holding on for a 41-31 victory. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns in the win as the Bulldogs totaled a season-high 605 yards.

Texas leads the series 4-1, most recently a 28-21 Sugar

seconds left in regulation.

In the Big Ten, defending national champion and 24th-ranked Michigan (4-2) can forget about a fourth straight playoff appearance if it doesn’t win at No. 22 Illinois (5-1), and we should find out how good No. 16 Indiana (6-0, 3-0) really is when it hosts Nebraska (5-1, 2-1).

Arizona State (5-1, 2-1) visits Cincinnati (4-2, 2-1) for a meeting of two of the Big 12’s surprise teams. Their game is the conference’s co-main event with No. 17 Kansas State (5-1, 2-1) at West Virginia (3-3, 2-1).

Two key games in the Atlantic Coast Conference have No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0) at Louisville (4-2, 2-1) and Virginia (4-2, 2-1) at No. 10 Clemson (5-1, 4-0).

BEST GAME

No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Bowl victory over the Dawgs during the 2018 season.

THE UNDERCARD

No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) at No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

The traditional third Saturday in October matchup pits two more teams with playoff aspirations but trying to avoid a second loss that could damage those hopes. The Crimson Tide look a little shaky right now after escaping South Carolina 27-25 a

The Longhorns look every bit the part of an SEC team in their first season since leaving the Big 12. The defense is the best in the nation, and QB Quinn Ewers is healthy again and leading a top-10 offense.

Georgia QB Carson Beck threw for a career-high 459 yards against Mississippi State last week. But the Bulldogs must tighten up their defense. They’ve given up more than 30 points twice, and on Saturday surrendered pass plays of 35, 42 and 72 yards.

BetMGM Sportsbook lists the Longhorns as 3 1/2point favorites.

HEISMAN WATCH

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik is in the second tier of Heisman Tropy candidates, tied for sixth with Georgia’s Beck at 14-1 odds among the betting public at BetMGM. Klubnik has the Tigers’ offense rolling the last month and could put himself into the mix with

week after falling 40-35 at Vanderbilt.

Tennessee bounced back from its upset loss to Arkansas by beating rival Florida 23-17 in overtime in Knoxville. That escape also has the Volunteers seeking a more commanding performance, and an opportunity looms for a second consecutive home victory over the Tide.

IMPACT PLAYER

Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor made sure the Com-

big performances at home against Virginia and Louisville next week.

The Tigers are averaging 48.6 points per game since 34-3 season-opening loss to Georgia, and they’ve amassed at least 500 yards in four of their last five games. Klubnik has thrown for 17 touchdowns against two interceptions and is completing 67% of his passes for 254 yards per game.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

4 — FBS-leading number of forced fumbles by Georgia Southern linebacker Marques Watson-Trent.

29-0 — Iowa’s record since 2020 when scoring at least 21 points.

48 — Graham Mertz’s consecutive starts, thirdmost among active FBS quarterbacks, before a season-ending ACL tear in Florida’s game against Tennessee last week.

56 — Current players for unbeaten and No. 13 BYU

modores’ epic upset of Alabama wasn’t a fluke by nailing field goals of 49 and 50 yards in a 20-13 win at Kentucky. Taylor totaled eight points overall with two pointafter kicks, but his 50-yarder made him the first Vandy kicker since Corey Spear in 2012-13 to convert four at that distance or longer. More importantly, it extended a lead that the ‘Dores maintained to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in league play.

who have served full-time, voluntary missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1960 — Last time North Carolina State, which visits California, played on the West Coast.

UNDER THE RADAR

Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) at No. 16 Indiana (6-0, 3-0), Saturday noon ET (Fox)

Indiana has made it look easy, on paper, while averaging 47.5 points per game during its best start since 1967. The Hoosiers led their first three opponents by no fewer than 17 points at half, but it took them until the fourth quarter to pull away from Maryland and Northwestern.

Nebraska should be Indiana’s toughest test so far. Freshman QB Dylan Raiola will look to rebound after playing his worst half of the season against Rutgers in his last game. The Cornhuskers’ defense is second

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Vanderbilt converted both red-zone chances at Kentucky as quarterback Diego Pavia tossed touchdown passes of 20 and 18 yards to AJ Newberry and Richie Hoskins, respectively. ... Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. threw for a career-best 306 yards against Georgia in just his second career start. ... Ole Miss (24), LSU (21), Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas (19 each) are ranked in the top 15 nationally in sacks.

in the Big Ten in points allowed (11.3 ppg), leads the conference in sacks (18) and is tied with Ohio State for fourth nationally in yards allowed per rush (2.7).

HOT SEAT

Will Hall is 14-29 in his fourth season at Southern Mississippi, 4-14 since he led the Golden Eagles to a Lending Tree Bowl win over Rice to end a 7-6 season in 2022. Only two of those four wins since have come against Bowl Subdivision opponents.

Hall hired new offensive and defensive coordinators in the offseason and has 51 new players on his roster after mining the transfer portal. The Eagles are worse on offense, averaging just 16.7 points per game, and about the same on defense. Arkansas State visits Saturday.

Hall’s contract is up at the end of the season. It looks like his time at Southern Miss will be, too.