South Carolina vs Oklahoma: A Pre-Kickoff Preview With Through the Key Hole's Payton Guthrie

South Carolina and Oklahoma are close to kicking the game off in Williams-Brice Stadium, but before the game is underway we caught up with Through the Keyhole podcast host Payton Guthrie. Here's what Guthrie had to say about what Gamecocks' fans should keep an eye out for this early Saturday afternoon.

1) Oklahoma has been one of, if not the best, defenses in the conference in nearly every big category. What has impressed you the most about that side of the ball and are there any guys South Carolina fans should be on the lookout for on that side of the ball?

Guthrie: The Oklahoma defense has completed the full evolution from where Lincoln Riley left the Sooners in 2021. Brent Venables & staff have invested a ton of resources into the defensive line. That early investment has paid dividends in the form of players like Jayden Jackson, David Stone, Gracen Halton, etc.

The easiest place to watch for a USC fans is to just watch the OU defensive line create havoc. If you want to watch another player, check out Kendal Daniels. He plays the “Cheetah” position and has delivered some big hits so far.

2) John Mateer didn’t have his best outing against Texas, however he was coming off an injury to his throwing hand. Now with more rest, how do you expect him to play in this game?

Guthrie: John Mateer is a lightning rod when it comes to his style of play. As an OU fan, I’ve decided to “buy the ticket, take ride” and learn to take the good & the bad. The Red River Shootout was a culmination of every bad habit for Mateer.

Oklahoma’s hopes for winning the South Carolina game (and the remaining schedule) rests on Mateer’s shoulders. The good thing for Mateer is that the amount of “bad tape” he left after the Texas game should allow him to correct some simple mistakes. I think we see the Mateer of the first four weeks of the season instead of the Mateer that was left in Dallas.

3) In your mind, what is the biggest X factor in this game for Oklahoma?

Guthrie: The biggest “X Factor” in this game is turnovers. Oklahoma has been quite sloppy with ball control and have been bailed out by a quarterback that can make big plays late in games. If South Carolina creates turnovers and converts on short fields then the game can get away from Oklahoma. If Oklahoma can create some “ghosts” for Sellers and create turnovers then OU will finally have a get right game for the 2025 season.

Payton and I sat down on Friday to talk about this upcoming game on the Through the Keyhold podcast. We talked about the game itself and my thoughts on what Sooner fans should be on the lookout for. You can check that podcast out now on Patreon right here.

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