Oklahoma’s 42-25 loss to South Carolina on Halloween produced plenty of individual milestones, even if the final result left little reason to celebrate.
The Sooners finished with 359 yards of offense, recorded three interceptions without committing a turnover, and watched several players reach career highs. Kip Lewis delivered another historic defensive moment with his third career pick-six, Ivan Carreon scored his first two collegiate receiving touchdowns, and Tate Sandell continued climbing Oklahoma’s kicking record book.
There were accomplishments worth recognizing throughout the afternoon. Unfortunately for the Sooners, none of them changed the outcome.
Here are this week’s notes and quotes from Oklahoma’s matchup with South Carolina.
General Notes
Another sellout in Norman: Saturday’s announced attendance was 83,189, marking Oklahoma’s 171st consecutive sellout of an originally scheduled home game. The streak dates back to the beginning of the 1999 season and remains the second-longest active streak in the nation.
The series swings South Carolina’s way: The Gamecocks improved to 2-1 in the all-time series. Interestingly, each of the three meetings has been won by the road team.
Halloween history comes to an end: Oklahoma played its 18th game on Halloween and fell to 12-4-2 on Oct. 31. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak on Halloween dating back to 1964. It was the Sooners’ first Halloween loss since falling 25-21 at Nebraska in 1959.
A new face at center: Senior offensive lineman Caleb Nitta made his first career start for Oklahoma, opening the game at center.
Fourth-quarter production: Oklahoma finished with 359 total offensive yards, including 244 passing yards and 115 rushing yards. The most striking number was the distribution: 241 yards came in the fourth quarter. The Sooners scored 17 points in the final period, matching their fourth-quarter scoring output in the 27-24 victory over Texas on Oct. 10.
Third-down consistency: Oklahoma converted seven of its 17 third-down opportunities against South Carolina. It marked the third consecutive game and fourth time this season the Sooners have converted at least seven third downs. They were 8-for-17 against Kentucky, 7-for-16 at Mississippi State, and 7-for-15 against New Mexico.
A turnover statistic that makes the loss even stranger: Oklahoma intercepted South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers three times and did not turn the ball over. Despite finishing plus-three in turnover margin, the Sooners lost by 17 points. It was their first loss with a positive turnover margin since the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl against Florida State, when they finished plus-one. It was also their first loss with a plus-three turnover margin since the 2006 game at Oregon.
Individual Notes
TE Rocky Beers
Beers continued to provide a reliable presence in the passing game, catching four passes for 51 yards. It was his fifth consecutive game with at least three receptions and his sixth such performance this season.
Saturday also marked his fourth game of the season with at least 50 receiving yards. Entering the weekend, Beers led all SEC tight ends and ranked fourth nationally among tight ends with an average of 54.6 receiving yards per game.
WR Ivan Carreon
Carreon delivered one of the afternoon’s most encouraging individual performances. He caught five passes for a career-high 88 yards and scored the first two receiving touchdowns of his career.
Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, on receptions of 34 and 10 yards from John Mateer. Carreon also recorded his first catch of the season with an 11-yard reception in the third quarter.
His late production couldn’t change the outcome, but it gave Oklahoma another receiver to build around as the season continues.
RB Jonathan Hatton Jr.
Hatton established career highs in both rushing and receiving. He carried the ball seven times for 26 yards and added three receptions for 22 yards.
He also caught three passes the previous week at Mississippi State, giving him six receptions over the last two games.
WR Jacob Jordan
Jordan recorded season highs with three receptions for 25 yards. It was his most productive receiving game in terms of both catches and yardage since the 2024 season. He entered Saturday with just two receptions for 13 yards this season.
QB John Mateer
Mateer completed 26 of 43 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also carried the ball 11 times for 29 yards.
Both touchdown passes went to Carreon in the fourth quarter, covering 34 and 10 yards.
Mateer has now thrown 10 touchdown passes of at least 20 yards through eight games this season. For perspective, Oklahoma recorded 11 such touchdown passes across its entire 13-game schedule last season.
DB Michael Boganowski
Boganowski made his first start since Oklahoma’s third game of the season against New Mexico and made the most of the opportunity.
He recorded the first interception of his career on a third-quarter play at the OU 18-yard line, returning it nine yards. Boganowski finished with five tackles and a pass breakup.
DB Markel Ford
Ford also recorded the first interception of his career, picking off Sellers on a fourth-quarter pass in the end zone.
The interception prevented another South Carolina scoring opportunity and gave Oklahoma its third takeaway of the afternoon.
DB Courtland Guillory
Guillory tied for the team lead with a career-high 10 tackles. His previous career high was seven, recorded last season at Tennessee.
LB Owen Heinecke
The Butkus Award semifinalist continued his remarkably consistent season, tying for the team lead with 10 tackles and adding a tackle for loss.
It was his second consecutive game with 10 tackles and the fourth time in his career he has reached that mark. All four performances have come in his last 13 games, dating back to last season.
Heinecke has now led or tied for the team lead in tackles in seven of Oklahoma’s eight games this season. He also leads the Sooners with 7.5 tackles for loss this year and has accumulated 19.5 TFLs in his career, all within the last two seasons.
LB Kip Lewis
Lewis made another trip to the end zone.
His 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter was the third pick-six of his career. Remarkably, all three of his career interceptions have been returned for touchdowns, with the first two coming in 2024.
The play tied Lewis for the Oklahoma career record for interception-return touchdowns, alongside four former Sooners: Bob Stephenson, Derrick Strait, Zack Sanchez, and Billy Bowman Jr.
Lewis also became the first linebacker in program history to record three career pick-sixes. He finished Saturday with five tackles and half a sack.
DL Danny Okoye
Okoye made an impact in limited production, recording two tackles, both for loss. His totals included 1.0 tackle for loss and half a sack.
He entered the game with just half a tackle for loss this season, which came on an assisted sack against Texas.
DB Reggie Powers III
Powers tied his career high with seven tackles, matching the total he recorded in the season opener against UTEP. He also added half a tackle for loss and now has 5.5 TFLs this season.
K Tate Sandell
Sandell continued to establish himself as one of the most reliable long-distance kickers in Oklahoma history.
He connected on both field-goal attempts against South Carolina, from 52 and 34 yards, and made his only extra-point attempt. The 52-yard field goal was his 10th career make from at least 50 yards and his 21st from at least 40 yards since joining Oklahoma in 2025.
With that kick, Sandell tied Gabe Brkic for the school record in both career field goals from 40-plus yards and career makes from 50-plus yards.
| Kicker | 40+ Yard FGs | 50+ Yard FGs |
|---|---|---|
| Tate Sandell | 21 of 29 | 10 of 13 |
| Gabe Brkic | 21 of 30 | 10 of 15 |
Sandell is now 36-for-45 on field-goal attempts in his Oklahoma career, including 12-for-18 this season. He has also made all 52 of his career extra-point attempts, going 17-for-17 in 2026.
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The Bottom Line
Saturday’s loss was another difficult chapter in a frustrating Oklahoma season, but several individual performances deserve recognition.
Lewis added another historic accomplishment to his résumé. Sandell tied two school records. Carreon gave the passing game a promising late spark, while Heinecke and Guillory continued to shoulder significant responsibilities on defense.
The problem is that individual milestones haven’t translated into team success often enough.
Oklahoma is now 4-4, and the Sooners need to find answers quickly as they turn their attention to a road trip against Florida. The records and career highs from Saturday will remain part of the season’s statistical story. The final score, however, is the one everyone in Norman will remember.
Brent Venables Quotes
“Got our ass whupped tonight in every way. I’m not going to sit here and try to explain or excuse or anything else. Really disappointed.”
On the Team’s Current Ceiling
“We’re not built to overcome some of the ineptness as a football team that we displayed out there tonight. Let them throw the ball over our head and didn’t tackle great. We’re in position several times and played on our heels.”
On the Visual Disconnect
“Tonight looked like we were in different area codes, different planets. They played better, they executed better, they coached better. We are a lot better than what we showed tonight. But you are what you put on tape.”
On Locker Room Morale and “Moving On”
“That’s the million-dollar question, right? (I’m not) going to sit here and act like ‘Oh, they’ll be fine.’ What’s fine? There ain’t nothing fine.”
On Protecting His Players
“Nobody went out there and s—- the bed on purpose. We just didn’t coach them well, didn’t have them well prepared, didn’t play good. A very poor performance in every way. Just got whooped.”
On Potential Coaching Staff Changes
“I am not talking about anything like that. Right now, I’m not ready to say anything about that.”
Ben Arbuckle Quotes
On the Offense’s General Disjointedness
“We came out tentative. We looked like we weren’t ready to play. We looked undisciplined, just in a bunch of different facets. You know, jumping offside or false starts, holds, not pulling the trigger on open guys that lead to a scramble that leads to a hold… Just looked tentative out there.”
On Taking Full Responsibility
“Didn’t look like we were ready to play, and I own that 100 percent. It’s my job to have these guys, by the time that ball’s kicking off, they’re ready to roll, they’re ready to play, and we weren’t that tonight.”
On Dealing with Frustration and Personal Failure
“Those kids, those young men, they show up every day, they compete their butt off, they work their butt off. All the improvement that the three weeks prior to this gave me confidence in those guys… If I’m frustrated at anybody, it’s with myself, because I didn’t have them ready to come out and play their A-game.”
On Leaving John Mateer in During Fourth-Quarter Garbage Time
“We talked about everything on the headset tonight. But then we rattled off three scoring drives, and the way it was going, it just didn’t feel like the right time [to put backups in]. But we discussed everything… Just how the game was shaking out and everything tonight, just didn’t feel like that was right.”
On the “Fire Arbuckle” Chants and Why He Should Stay
“Because I believe in what this place is. I believe in these players. I love these players. I love this university, and I love the standards and expectations that this place has.
I love that they want a really good product. I want a really good product, and I’m going to strive relentlessly to deliver that.”
Player Quotes
Quarterback John Mateer on Fan Frustration & Offensive Execution
“We’re frustrated, too. It just comes down to execution. Whatever the game plan we have, ultimately we have to execute it at the highest level, and we just haven’t done that yet this year.”
Left Tackle Michael Fasusi on His 4 Costly Penalties
“I’m very pissed. Got to be better. Personally, I’ve just got to be better. I’ve got to take more accountability in where I’m lined up on the field. I’ve got to make sure I’m locked in in the moment. It’s really just all me. I don’t want to say all that [the time he missed]. I can’t put the blame on that. I just gotta be where my feet at.”
Fasusi’s Direct Apology to Sooners Fans
“I’m very sorry, absolutely. I’ve got to be more locked in on the details and I’ve got to be more consistent in what I do. It starts with me, man. It starts with mindset. I’m very sorry to the fans.”