Turnover battle could settle Oklahoma-South Carolina matchup

Oklahoma is coming off a blowout loss to its biggest rival.South Carolina is coming off a narrow loss to Alabama.The Sooners and Gamecocks will try to bounce back from their disappointments when they meet Saturday in Norman, Okla.Turnovers figure to play a significant role in the game.The Sooners lead the Southeastern Conference and are tied for seventh nationally with 14 turnovers forced, while the Gamecocks are tied for second in the conference with 12 takeaways.The South Carolina secondary is piling up interceptions, as Jalon Kilgore has three and Nick Emmanwori and O’Donnell Fortune have two apiece. Billy Bowman Jr. paced Oklahoma with two picks.The teams are also among the nation’s best in getting pressure on quarterbacks, as both are tied for 10th nationally in sacks per game with 3.17.While the Saturday game is the first-ever meeting between the programs, South Carolina got a bit of a peek at what Oklahoma’s defense might look like last season when it faced Jacksonville State.Sooners co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley was Jacksonville State’s defensive coordinator last season.While the defenses have forced turnovers in bunches, their offenses have struggled to hold on to the ball.Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has committed seven turnovers — five of those coming over its two losses, 25-15 to Tennessee and 34-3 to Texas.

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