A Week After a Great Return, Oklahoma's Michael Fasusi Knows He's 'Gotta Be Better'

NORMAN — Michael Fasusi was short in his postgame media availability following Oklahoma's 42-25 loss to South Carolina.

The normally energetic and joyous Fasusi followed his poor performance with annoyance. It makes sense. A week after being the anchor of the offensive line that led to OU's largest offensive explosion since joining the SEC, the second-year tackle committed infractions and got worked by Dylan Stewart.

"Very pissed. Gotta be better," Fasusi said afterwards.

At halftime, the Sooners nearly had as many penalty yards as they did total offensive yards. One sequence involved Fasusi on back-to-back plays where he drew laundry debris from the officiating crew.

"Personally, I just gotta be better," Fasusi said. "I take my accountability, and where I'm lined up on the field, I just gotta make sure I'm locked in, in the moment. It's really just all on me man. Coach (Bill Bedenbaugh) did a great job of just saying it over and over again."

The OU offense never got going. Of their 359 total yard, 245 of them came in the fourth quarter — Oklahoma entered the final chapter down 35-10, so the Gamecocks weren't exactly playing with the same intensity as they had in the first half.

Much of that was due to the offensive line's shaky protection, not to mention run blocking that left a lot to be desired. OU rushed for 115 yards, but no ball carrier rushed for more than 32 yards. The most exciting sequence on the ground was a drive where Jonathan Hatton Jr. had nice back-to-back runs.

It doesn't all fall on Fasusi, but he's the lone captain playing on the offensive line right now.

Fasusi even apologized when asked about the fans in attendance, who made their voices heard throughout the game.

"I'm very sorry," Fasusi said. "Gotta be more locked in on the details. I gotta be more consistent in what I do, and what I do in the right way. So I know for sure it starts with me and it starts with mindset. So I'm very sorry to the fans, absolutely, I'm just gonna get better."

To his credit, Fasusi was genuine when it came to his accountability. Despite missing five games, Fasusi didn't place any blame on his time away from the field.

"I don't want to say all that, but no. I can't put the blame on that," Fasusi said. "I just gotta be where my feet are at."

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google