The Oklahoma Sooners are 4-2 entering week eight of the 2024 college football season, and they’re 1-2 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. They’ll look to bounce back from last week’s tough loss against Texas at home against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
To say OU has struggled mightily on offense this season would be an understatement. While the defense has held up their end of the bargain, the Sooners haven’t been able to put points on the board.
The Gamecocks have had similar problems this year, although not as drastic. They boast an excellent defense, but an offense that has struggled at times to move the ball.
However, the third phase of the game of football will be very important this week, as special teams may come to Oklahoma’s aid in this contest, or be their demise.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer knows more about special teams than just about any other coach in the country. His father, Frank Beamer, famously coached Virginia Tech to plenty of success with “Beamer Ball” and his son has followed in his footsteps. The Beamers are excellent on special teams, often earning their teams an edge in that department.
Shane Beamer actually coached at Oklahoma from 2018 to 2020 in a variety of roles (including special teams), before he got his current gig in Columbia. The Gamecocks nearly upset LSU early this season, and used a remarkable onside kick to come within a drive of defeating Alabama last week. South Carolina is a worthy opponent for the Sooners, especially on special teams, with the Oklahoma offense stuck in neutral (or park, or reverse).
Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] made special teams a point of emphasis this offseason, after the Sooners had far too many mistakes in that department in his first two years at the helm. Special teams analyst [autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag] was hired away from San Diego State to replace Jay Nunez, who took a job at Alabama.
Through six games, OU hasn’t been remarkable on special teams, but the big mistakes that bit them last year haven’t shown up as much. But it’ll take everybody to win that battle against Beamer and the Gamecocks.
Punter [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] leads the way for this unit, as he’s had an excellent season. Time and time again, Elzinga has been counted upon to win the field position battle, and time and time again, he’s delivered. He hasn’t had a punt blocked, and he’s honestly one of Oklahoma’s best players, regardless of position. As OU continues to struggle on offense, but play well defensively, field position will be crucial.
The trio of kicker [autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag], holder [autotag]Josh Plaster[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Ben Anderson[/autotag] will have to be solid on field goals and extra points this week, as South Carolina will capitalize on any mistakes. Keltner has missed a couple of kicks this season, including one against Texas, but is still an improvement over what the position has seen the last couple of years. The Sooners also have not had a kick blocked.
OU’s kickoff specialist, [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] (who stepped in nicely as the starter at kicker for Keltner against Auburn), can’t give the Gamecocks any un-earned opportunities either, as the Sooners defense needs all the help they can get.
If the Sooners could block a punt or a kick, that would be fantastic, but South Carolina doesn’t make many special teams errors. Oklahoma also will have to be careful they don’t give up a big return.
In the return game, Oklahoma hasn’t gotten anything substantial, though they are dealing with some injuries to their kickoff returners. Without Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks in the lineup, that duty has fallen to players like Billy Bowman, [autotag]Sam Franklin[/autotag], Gavin Sawchuk and Devon Jordan. Franklin seems to be the preferred option, but he is currently questionable for this game, as is Burks.
[autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] is the primary punt returner, with Bowman as a backup option. Bowen was excellent returning punts in high school, and has shown potential, but hasn’t gotten loose for a big play yet at the college level.
Lastly, OU will have to avoid special teams penalties, which has not exactly been a strength through six games.
That means being disciplined and paying attention to the little details in order to keep from making those errors. Whether it’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalties or procedure penalties, they simply can’t happen on special teams in any game, this one included. They’ll also need to keep the antenna up for momentum-shifting plays like onside kicks or fakes that can swing things in favor of South Carolina.
With his offense trying to find solutions at this point in the season, Venables will be looking for his special teams to out-duel “Beamer Ball” and help his defense come away with the win.