Gamecocks Host Oklahoma Saturday at 12:45 pm
South Carolina’s complete game notes package can be found here.
QUICKLY: The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) begin the second half of the 2025 regular season by welcoming the No. 14/13 Oklahoma Sooners (5-1, 1-1 SEC) to Columbia and Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559) for the first time ever on Saturday, Oct. 18. Game time is set for 12:45 pm ET in Columbia.
OVER THE AIRWAVES: This week’s game will be televised on the SEC Network with Taylor Zarzour handling the play-by-play, Matt Stinchcomb providing the color commentary and South Carolina’s own Alyssa Lang working the sidelines. For the second week in a row, ESPN Radio has a national broadcast with Marc Kestecher and Kelly Stouffer in the booth and Ian Fitzsimmons on the sidelines. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock Hall of Fame quarterbacks in play-by-play voice Todd Ellis (34th season) and analyst Tommy Suggs (53rd season). Chet Tucker returns for his third year as the sideline reporter.
HOW WE GOT HERE: The Gamecocks have reached the halfway point of the 2025 regular season with a 3-3 mark including a 1-3 record in SEC play. Carolina opened the season with a 24-11 non-conference win over Virginia Tech in Atlanta, then rolled past South Carolina State by a 38-10 margin in the 2025 home opener. The Gamecocks had their eight-game regular season winning streak and their 16-game winning streak against Vanderbilt snapped in a 31-7 decision in the SEC opener, then fell by a 29-20 count at Missouri before bouncing back with a convincing 35-13 win over Kentucky in Columbia. After a bye week, the Gamecocks went to Baton Rouge last Saturday night and dropped a 20-10 decision to the 11th-ranked LSU Tigers.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: The Gamecocks were in a similar situation at this time last year, sitting at 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC halfway through the season after a road loss at No. 7 Alabama and facing Oklahoma. They went into Norman and rolled to a 35-9 win, the first of six-straight wins including four wins over ranked opponents.
COACHING CHANGE: On Sunday, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer announced that he has relieved offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley of his duties effective immediately. Run game coordinator/tight ends coach Shawn Elliott assumes the offensive line coaching responsibilities. Elliott previously worked as the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach under head coach Steve Spurrier from 2010-15, and under Will Muschamp in 2016. In addition, he served as the Gamecocks’ interim head coach over the final six games of the 2015 season. Elliott also was the offensive line coach at Appalachian State from 2001-09. He returned to Columbia in 2024 after a seven-year stint at the head coach at Georgia State. Ben Burress, who had been working as a pass game specialist, will assist with the tight ends.
NOT ALL SCHEDULES ARE CREATED EQUAL: South Carolina is in a stretch in which they could play five ranked teams in a row, something that has never happened in school history. They played at No. 11/11 LSU last week and have No. 6/6 Alabama, No. 5/5 Ole Miss and No. 4/4 Texas A&M on the docket after this week’s game against No. 14/13 Oklahoma. Including the Sooners this week, South Carolina will have faced 11 ranked opponents over an 18-game stretch.
