Nick Emmanwori had two first-quarter interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, as South Carolina used an early defensive barrage to Oklahoma 35-9 on Saturday in Southeastern Conference action at Norman, Okla.
LaNorris Sellers threw for 175 yards and a touchdown as the Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 SEC) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Just 5:20 into the game, South Carolina led 21-0 with two defensive touchdowns in the first meeting between the teams.
Emmanwori picked off Michael Hawkins Jr.’s pass on the first play of the game, giving the Gamecocks the ball in Oklahoma territory, leading to Raheim Sanders’ 3-yard touchdown run.
Moments later, Demetrius Knight Hr. sacked Hawkins, knocking the ball free into the hands of Tonka Hemingway, who returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.
Then on third down on the next drive, Emmanwori picked off Hawkins once again, this time returning it 65 yards for a touchdown to put the Gamecocks up by three touchdowns.
That’s when the Sooners changed quarterbacks, going back to Jackson Arnold.
Arnold started the season’s first four games before being replaced by Hawkins just before halftime of Oklahoma’s Sept. 21 loss to Tennessee.
By playing on Saturday in his fifth game, Arnold can’t take a redshirt this season and is left with two years of eligibility after the 2024 season, according to NCAA rules.
The offense didn’t fare much better initially under Arnold, though at least the Sooners avoided further turnovers until the fourth quarter.
Arnold, a former five-star prospect, finished 18 of 36 for 225 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3). He threw a 54-yard scoring pass to Brenen Thompson in the third quarter.
The Sooners outgained the Gamecocks 291-254.
Nine South Carolina players each had one sack. The teams combined for 15 sacks.
After the initial outburst, South Carolins added a pair of field goals by Alex Herrera (39 and 33 yards) and a 33-yard touchdown pass from Sellers to Joshua Simon.
The Gamecocks led 32-3 at halftime after a successful two-point conversion following Simon’s touchdown with less than two minutes left in the first half.
The 29-point halftime deficit was the Sooners’ biggest at home since 1997.
It was the first time this season Oklahoma’s defense failed to force a turnover.
The game was a return to Norman for fourth-year South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who spent three seasons as an offensive assistant for the Sooners under coach Lincoln Riley before being hired by the Gamecocks.
