Venables Says Oklahoma Was Unprepared in South Carolina Loss

Published October 31, 2026. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said his team was poorly prepared after South Carolina beat the Sooners 42-25 at home Saturday. The loss dropped Oklahoma to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Southeastern Conference play. South Carolina improved to 5-3 and 3-3 in the conference.

The Gamecocks piled up 521 yards of offense, despite Oklahoma forcing three turnovers. South Carolina took control before halftime, then widened its lead to 42-16 on LaNorris Sellers’ 79-yard touchdown pass to Mazeo Bennett Jr. with 13:13 remaining. The Sooners’ scoring after that came in the closing stages.

Venables said Oklahoma struggled to contain passes over the defense and did not tackle well. He rejected the idea that players had deliberately given less than their best, but took responsibility for the team’s readiness and performance. He said he believed in and cared about the players, while describing the night as embarrassing and expressing anger at himself and the team.

Asked whether the loss might fracture the locker room, Venables said players would have to choose to return for Monday’s work and meet the team’s expectations. Oklahoma next travels to face Florida. Its remaining schedule also includes home games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, followed by a road game at Missouri. The Sooners now need to reach bowl eligibility, while Venables declined to discuss speculation about staff members’ job security.