South-Carolina
Oklahoma-South Carolina GameDay Preview: X-Factors
Earlier in the week, I wrote about how Oklahoma has pretty much fallen apart after the Texas game in two years under Brent Venables. While his predecessors Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley actually coached some of their best football in the second half of the season and always — always — avoided a letdown after the Red River Rivalry (OU is 24-1 in games immediately following their return from Dallas, with the only loss coming in 2014), Venables’ teams — 2-0 the week after Texas — were 7-7 post-Texas for the second half of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Forget Texas, and play like the future of the program depends on it. Because it might.
— John E. Hoover
The Sooners have to start fast against South Carolina for a number of reasons. Digging out of an early hole is a bad recipe for a struggling offense, but there’s another factor that could make things awkward in Norman. Oklahoma fans are used to historic offenses. They’ve got one this year — historically bad. The groans and boo’s were audible in OU’s loss to Tennessee, and patience is running thin around the fanbase. Brent Venables pointed out this week that South Carolina has struggled on the road under Shane Beamer in the past. If OU doesn’t put some points on the board early, it could be the home team in crimson that draws the ire of the crowd, not the visitors, which won’t help a young group that is struggling to move the football.
— Ryan Chapman
The defense is the offense’s best asset right now for the Sooners. Long drives will be difficult for OU to produce against this defense, or any defense for that matter right now. If the Sooners score enough points to win this one, it’s because the defense put them in position to, stole the momentum at times and maybe even put points on the board itself.
— Dekota Gregory
The scoreboard and response to Oklahoma’s (admittedly miserable) 34-3 loss to Texas on Saturday concealed one truth: For about a quarter-and-a-half, the Sooners’ offense was serviceable. The same was true for the Sooners defense. Michael Hawkins’ fumble turned a 14-3 deficit (which could have just as easily been 14-10) into a three-score football game, and while Taylor Tatum’s fumble on the very next offensive snap didn’t yield a Longhorns score, it also ensured the Sooners wouldn’t. Good on Venables for affirming his trust in both, but let that not bury the fact that turnovers are king in college football. Every play is meaningful, but they’re especially meaningful when you can see the end zone over the horizon. Avoiding these perils could have as dramatic an effect on Saturday’s outcome.
— Bryce McKinnis
Oklahoma’s defense didn’t play its best game in Dallas, but that was partly due to the offense’s dysfunction. The defense came away with three stops in a row in the first quarter, giving the offense solid field position all three times. The Sooners’ offense was only able to manage three points total. After a pair of OU fumbles, the defense turned sloppy. It felt like the unit got dejected and lost control of the game from that point on. It’s clear what this Oklahoma defense is capable of — they have shown flashes all season long. For OU to have a chance against South Carolina, and down the stretch, the defensive unit can’t be bothered by what the offense does, or doesn’t do. Oklahoma’s defense must stay focused throughout the course of the game and can’t get discouraged by the other side of the ball coughing up great opportunities.
— Ross Lovelace
Oklahoma hasn’t had much success on offense in 2024 outside of a 51-point performance against Temple to start the season. Virtually every position group on the offensive side of the ball has struggled, and Seth Littrell’s play calling has resulted in former OU players (Daniel Brooks and Zack Sanchez, just to name a few) and fans alike questioning whether the Sooners’ offensive coordinator is fit for the job. In order to move the ball against a solid South Carolina defense, Oklahoma will have to find some sort of offensive identity in practice leading up to its matchup with the Gamecocks.
— Randall Sweet
New details have emerged in an officer-involved shooting that left one dead and a deputy injured in Anderson County on Monday.
A deputy with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) initiated a traffic stop outside of Townville, SC, on I-85 Northbound near Mile Marker 11 for a traffic violation, according to a release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
The deputy requested back-up and spoke to 32-year-old Austin Derrell Robertson, of Pennsylvania, in his patrol vehicle. Once the other deputy arrived, Robertson got out of the vehicle and “a physical altercation involving him and the two deputies” occured, according to SLED.
SC deputy critically injured after shooting during traffic stop, suspect killed
While deputies attempted to tase Robertson, officials said he grabbed a firearm from his vehicle and shot one of the deputies.
Both deputies then shot back at Roberston, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
SLED said the deputy was airlifted to the hospital and remains there for treatment at this time.
The incident remains under investigation by SLED, as requested by the ACSO.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
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