Changes could be coming at Oklahoma after offense struggles again in loss to S. Carolina

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Changes could be coming at Oklahoma after offense struggles again in loss to S. Carolina originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

NORMAN, Okla. -- A shakeup could be coming at Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh might need to be on alert after Saturday's 42-25 loss to South Carolina. The Sooners didn’t reach 100 yards of offense until late in the third quarter and didn't score an offensive touchdown until the fourth. Oklahoma’s disgruntled fans booed the unit throughout the dreary Halloween day as the Gamecocks took a 35-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Sooners were favored at home and coming off a win at Mississippi State, so there was some hope that even though they were just 4-3, their season still could be saved. Instead, it was the latest offensive disaster for a unit that often has failed to support its typically strong defense. Now, Oklahoma’s slim playoff hopes are gone, which gives the Sooners less reason to hold onto underperforming coaches.

I have often said history repeats itself. The last time the Sooners removed a high-level offensive coach during the season was in 2024. Venables replaced offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after, of all things, a blowout home loss to South Carolina.

Two years later, the Sooners are no better off and Venables is facing the heat again. 

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer -- a former assistant at Oklahoma under then-coach Lincoln Riley -- got a key win that maintained the Gamecocks’ momentum. South Carolina was coming off Top 25 wins over Florida and Tennessee.

Now, South Carolina -- not Oklahoma -- has an outside shot at a playoff berth. And LaNorris Sellers might have played his way into the Heisman conversation after passing for 301 yards and three touchdowns and running 13 times for 96 yards and two scores.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma will be playing for pride. A defense that kept the Sooners in games all season and anchored a win over Texas finally fell apart on Saturday. South Carolina gained 521 yards against a unit that entered the day ranked 11th nationally in total defense.

As a side note, losing to a former Riley assistant does not help perception for Oklahoma's coaching staff.

It looked like the Sooners might hang with South Carolina early. A 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis tied the game at 7 in the first quarter.

It was mostly domination from South Carolina after that.

Christian Clark’s 1-yard touchdown run on a direct snap put the Gamecocks up 14-7 early in the second quarter, and Sellers’ 85-yard touchdown pass to DJ Black pushed South Carolina’s lead to 21-7.

MORE: Oklahoma assistants Arbuckle, Bedenbaugh running out of time to fix offense

Sellers’ touchdown pass to Nyck Harbor with 16 seconds left in the first half put the Gamecocks up 28-10 at the break. South Carolina gained 307 yards in the first half against a team that had been allowing 273.7 yards per game.

Oklahoma's offense finally reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. Now, we wait to see if it's too late for Arbuckle and Bedenbaugh.

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