Gamecocks dominate // Best of the worst-worst of the best // The Lamar question

Cole Bryson (0:03)

Well, it is time for us to take our first in-depth, and I mean in-depth look, Diesel at South Carolina, Oklahoma. We did this yesterday for the Clemson Tigers as they are battling the Florida State Seminoles. We gave you a pretty good extensive preview of what we think that game will look like, and we talked about where Clemson has the advantage. Let's do the same thing for the Gamecocks. Out of the gate, we're crowing, the Rooster crowing at 3 p.m. on this Thursday, this Tolo Thursday takeover, Wire 2 Wire. He's Diesel, I'm Cole Bryson, and Diesel, the Gamecocks on the road after winning two straight games, two straight games where this football team has confidence, four and three now on the season, and Oklahoma also won their last game, but a little bit different of a story. Wire 2 and 2, four and three also is their overall record.

The matchup at Oklahoma is interesting, of course, with the Vegas number and the spread in terms of what Vegas thinks about this and it being on the road in Norman against Brent Venable's Oklahoma currently four and a half point favorite. Do you think that this is still a, I don't want to say a must win game for the Gamecocks because that term gets thrown around far too often, right? But do you think this is a game to wire Diesel South Carolina's got to have it just in terms of the momentum and how they've been playing lately?

SPEAKER_2 (1:34)

Yeah, I mean, this is a game you should win because Oklahoma is vulnerable and you have the momentum. Things are going well. Your quarterback's playing well. Your defense is finally playing well. Your defense is not giving up late scores that sort of let games slip away at the tail end.

I think every game, I mean, I know it sounds cliche to say every game regardless is must win, but this is also one Cole that you look ahead and you still have some pretty tough opponents left on the schedule. If you don't win this one, that's how the season gets away from you. That's how six and six creeps up on you. When you thought going into this Oklahoma game, we could be staring down a seven-win or even eight-win season if things fall our way, that gets way harder to do if you lose to teams that you shouldn't be losing to.

Cole Bryson (2:28)

Yeah, I think you're right on that. Gamecock fans want to hear from you. 844-FAN-PHONE, 844-3263663.

We want to hear you, Crow, when it comes to your South Carolina Gamecocks, your initial thoughts on what this game will entail. Is it a must-win game for the South Carolina Gamecocks? Because these are the reasons I asked that question. It wasn't too long ago, we were talking about Shane Beamer needing to be fired. Would he be fired potentially on the bye week? And then the Gamecocks rattle off two wins in a row, and boy, things sure are different. I think you used, I don't know, I could have heard you wrong, the word vulnerable, right? I think the word vulnerable is important when you look at this matchup for Oklahoma. Statistically, there are areas South Carolina has an advantage. And I think Oklahoma could be looked at Diesel as a little bit vulnerable. For example, South Carolina Diesel is averaging 36.1 points per game. Oklahoma only 21.6. So you're averaging 15 more points a game than this Oklahoma team. Now we know football is all about matchups, how you match up against this team, how you match up against Perth Inventables defense. The Gamecocks though, Diesel, average in 456 yards a game, 218 on the ground, 237 through the air.

Where the Oklahoma Sooners do have a little bit of an advantage, they're only allowing 17.7 points per game. Now, that doesn't surprise you, that doesn't surprise me, knowing that that's how a Brent Inventables defense is. But when you look at this matchup, Diesel, there is a good chance, a good chance that we're talking about Lenora Sellers having to go make another play yet again, just because that's how this thing works sometimes. Sometimes, your super human players have to be super human. That's just the way it works sometimes. Look, is South Carolina good enough, going back to your question from last week, are they good enough to go on the road and just beat them outright? I think so, but I think also when you're going up against a defense as good as Brent Inventables, you better have a guy on your offense who's just a pure playmaker. Good news for the Gamecocks, Diesel, they have that in Lenora Sellers.