Oklahoma’s 42-25 loss to South Carolina was bad enough to put the program at a crossroads. By Monday, Brent Venables had made another significant change, firing offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and turning the offense over to interim play-caller Jason Witten.
That coaching decision is the biggest storyline surrounding the Sooners, but it doesn’t erase what happened on the field Saturday.
There were a few players who gave Oklahoma reasons for optimism. Ivan Carreon emerged as a legitimate late-game weapon, Owen Heinecke and Courtland Guillory continued to produce at the top of the tackling chart, and Kip Lewis delivered another game-changing defensive play. Tate Sandell and freshman Markel Ford also provided positive moments.
The problem is that those individual performances were surrounded by too many systemic failures.
Oklahoma surrendered 521 yards, struggled to establish a traditional rushing attack, and allowed John Mateer to take three sacks. The offensive line, in particular, has reached a point where the struggles are no longer just a weekly concern. They are shaping the identity of the entire offense.
Here’s where the stock stands after the loss to South Carolina.
STOCK RISING
WR Ivan Carreon: 📈 Major Buy
5 receptions | 88 yards | 2 touchdowns | 73.4 PFF grade
If Oklahoma is searching for something positive to carry into the Florida game, Carreon’s performance belongs near the top of the list.
The receiver finished with five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns, providing two of the few explosive offensive moments the Sooners managed all afternoon. Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, with Carreon hauling in scoring passes of 34 and 10 yards from Mateer.
The timing of the production deserves context. Oklahoma was already trailing by multiple scores, and the offense’s late surge did not change the outcome. Still, Carreon made the most of his opportunities and showed an ability to create plays downfield.
His 73.4 Pro Football Focus grade was the highest among Oklahoma’s offensive players. He did it on 46 snaps, making the production even more encouraging.
The bigger question is whether the new offensive staff can find ways to involve him earlier. Oklahoma needs explosive plays, and Carreon showed he can provide them. The Sooners cannot afford to wait until the fourth quarter to discover one of their most productive receiving options.
Stock verdict: Rising fast. Carreon earned a larger role in the offensive conversation.
LB Owen Heinecke: 📈 Buy
10 tackles | 1 tackle for loss | 51.1 PFF grade
Heinecke continues to be one of the most dependable players on Oklahoma’s defense.
He finished with 10 tackles against South Carolina, tying for the team lead. It was also his second consecutive game reaching double-digit stops, another indication of how consistently he has been involved in the middle of the defense.
The PFF grade of 51.1 reflects a performance that was not without its shortcomings. Oklahoma’s defense gave up too much, and Heinecke was part of a unit that struggled to contain LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks’ offense.
But the volume and consistency matter. Heinecke continues to show up around the football, and his tackling production has been a constant even as the defense has struggled to get off the field.
He is also a Butkus Award semifinalist, recognition that reflects the level of play he has established over the course of the season.
Stock verdict: Holding strong. Heinecke cannot fix every problem around him, but his effort and production remain valuable.
DB Courtland Guillory: 📈 Buy
10 tackles | Team-high tie
Guillory joined Heinecke at the top of Oklahoma’s tackle chart with 10 stops of his own.
For a defensive back, that number tells two stories. On one hand, Guillory was involved and continued to make plays. On the other, the fact that a member of the secondary was so heavily involved in the tackle count is another indication of how often South Carolina reached the second and third levels of the defense.
Guillory’s 62.1 PFF grade reflects some of the difficulty Oklahoma’s defensive backs experienced in space. The Gamecocks generated explosive plays, and the secondary did not consistently keep the offense in front of it.
Still, Guillory’s willingness to tackle and his involvement throughout the game deserve recognition. The defensive breakdown cannot be pinned on one player, and his 10 stops demonstrate that he continued to compete through a difficult afternoon.
Stock verdict: Fighting. The tackling production is encouraging, but the secondary as a whole has to be better.
LB Kip Lewis: 📈 Buy
30-yard interception return for a touchdown | Third career pick-six
Lewis provided Oklahoma’s biggest defensive highlight of the afternoon.
With South Carolina leading 7-0 in the second quarter, Lewis intercepted Sellers and returned the ball 30 yards for a touchdown. The play briefly tied the game and gave the Sooners a jolt of energy inside Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
It was the third interception return for a touchdown of Lewis’ career, continuing an unusual knack for turning takeaways into points.
The defense ultimately surrendered 521 yards, so one highlight cannot erase the larger performance. But Lewis made a play that changed the scoreboard and gave Oklahoma a chance to regain momentum.
Stock verdict: Rising. Lewis remains one of the defense’s most dangerous playmakers.
K Tate Sandell: 📈 Buy
2-for-2 on field goals | Long of 52 yards
Sandell did his job.
The Oklahoma kicker connected on both field-goal attempts, including a 52-yarder that demonstrated the value of having a reliable leg when the offense cannot consistently finish drives.
He also connected from 34 yards in the fourth quarter. In a game where Oklahoma struggled to generate points for much of the afternoon, Sandell converted the opportunities that came his way.
The offense needs to do more to put him in position to contribute, but there is little reason to question his current trajectory.
Stock verdict: Rising. Reliable kicking remains one of the few areas where Oklahoma can feel comfortable.
DB Markel Ford: 📈 Watch List
First career interception
Ford’s fourth-quarter interception was another small but meaningful positive.
With South Carolina threatening to add to its lead, Ford came away with his first career interception in the end zone. It did not change the outcome, but it was a good individual moment for a young defensive back in a game where Oklahoma’s secondary had few reasons to celebrate.
The interception also gives the coaching staff something positive to build on as it evaluates the secondary moving forward.
Stock verdict: Trending up. A first career interception is a good start. The next step is turning that moment into consistent production.
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STOCK CRASHING
The Offensive Line: 📉 Sell
3 sacks allowed | 25.2 PFF grade for Michael Fasusi | 84 snaps
This is the unit that has become impossible to ignore.
Oklahoma’s offensive line once again struggled to give Mateer the protection and stability needed to operate the offense. The Sooners allowed three sacks against South Carolina, and the inability to establish a dependable traditional rushing attack made the passing game even more difficult to sustain.
The problem is bigger than one statistic.
Oklahoma finished with 115 rushing yards, but that number needs context. Mateer accounted for 29 yards on 11 carries, while the running game struggled to generate the consistency needed to keep the offense on schedule. Tory Blaylock led the Sooners with just 32 rushing yards on six carries.
The PFF numbers provided for the game paint an especially concerning picture. Michael Fasusi received a 25.2 grade across 84 snaps, the lowest mark of the season.
That is a difficult performance to overlook, particularly for a player expected to anchor the offensive front.
It would be unfair to assign all three sacks to one offensive lineman. Ultimately, Fasusi was only responsibly for 1 sack, but he was also on the hook for 7 total pressures. Protection is a collective responsibility involving the line, backs, tight ends, and quarterback. But the overall results are clear: Oklahoma did not protect consistently enough, did not create enough movement in the running game, and did not give its offense a stable foundation.
The coaching change does not automatically solve that problem.
Witten inherits an offensive line that needs more than a new play sheet. Oklahoma needs better communication, better execution, and a more dependable plan for handling pressure. Until that happens, the offense will continue to operate with a very limited margin for error.
Stock verdict: Crashing. This unit has to improve before Oklahoma can expect a meaningful offensive turnaround.
The Defensive Secondary: 📉 Sell
521 total yards allowed | 309 passing yards | Touchdowns of 84 and 79 yards
The secondary gets a separate stock downgrade because Oklahoma’s defensive problems extended well beyond the offensive struggles.
South Carolina finished with 521 total yards, including 309 through the air. Sellers completed 19 of 24 passes and connected on touchdown throws of 84 yards to DJ Black and 79 yards to Mazeo Bennett Jr.
Those two explosive plays are particularly difficult to defend when evaluating a unit that entered the season as one of Oklahoma’s greatest strengths.
The Sooners did intercept Sellers three times, including Michael Boganowski and Markel Ford. Those plays deserve recognition. But takeaways cannot completely offset the damage created by explosive touchdowns and an offense that consistently moved the football.
Guillory’s 10 tackles and the interceptions provide individual positives. They do not change the overall assessment.
The secondary must do a better job limiting explosive plays, maintaining coverage integrity, and finishing possessions. Oklahoma cannot continue allowing opponents to turn one successful pass into an immediate touchdown.
Stock verdict: Falling sharply. The talent is there, but the unit’s collective performance has to match its reputation.
THE METRIC DASHBOARD
| Player / Unit | Key Game Metric | PFF Grade | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Carreon, WR | 5 rec, 88 yds, 2 TD | 73.4 | RISING |
| Owen Heinecke, LB | 10 tackles, 1 TFL | 51.1 | HOLDING |
| Courtland Guillory, DB | 10 tackles | 62.1 | FIGHTING |
| Kip Lewis, LB | 30-yard pick-six | 59.8 | RISING |
| Tate Sandell, K | 2-for-2 FG, long of 52 | 84.6 | RISING |
| Markel Ford, DB | First career interception | 71.2 | WATCH LIST |
| Offensive line | 3 sacks allowed | Fasusi: 25.2 | CRASHING |
| Defensive secondary | 521 yards allowed by defense; 309 passing | Bowen: 53.8 | CRASHING |
PFF grades are the supplied game grades.
THE FLORIDA OUTLOOK: A NEW PLAY-CALLER, BUT THE SAME QUESTIONS
Oklahoma heads to Gainesville with a new offensive coordinator and plenty of unanswered questions.
Witten takes over play-calling duties after Venables dismissed Arbuckle on Monday. The change gives the offense a new voice, but it does not immediately resolve the personnel and execution problems that have followed the Sooners throughout the season.
The most important question heading into Florida involves Mateer.
Venables declined to commit publicly to his starting quarterback, saying that everything was on the table. However, reports indicate that Mateer handled his normal share of first-team repetitions during Monday’s practice. That suggests he remains the expected starter, even as the coaching staff evaluates its options.
The quarterback situation deserves attention, but the offensive line may be even more important. Whoever takes the snaps needs time to operate. Oklahoma also needs to establish enough of a running game to prevent opposing defenses from treating every passing situation as an opportunity to attack the pocket.
Carreon gives Witten a receiver who just demonstrated the ability to make explosive plays. Heinecke and Guillory give the defense two players who continue to produce at a high level individually. Lewis, Sandell, and Ford also offered encouraging moments.
Those are pieces worth building around.
But the stock report still comes back to the same two problems: Oklahoma has to protect its quarterback, and the defense has to stop giving away explosive plays.
A coaching change can create a spark. It cannot substitute for better football.
The Sooners have a new play-caller, but the same roster must find a way to respond in Gainesville.