Dusty Dvorcek reveals factor that will decide Oklahoma-South Carolina

The Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina Gamecocks will face off at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Both teams are coming off wins and hope to keep the momentum going.

Whoever wins this game will likely have to win the turnover battle. Oklahoma ranks No. 132 in turnovers lost this season. The Sooners have turned it over 15 times in just seven games, averaging just over two turnovers a game. South Carolina ranks No. 59 in turnovers at nine, which is just over one a game.

ESPN's Dusty Dvoracek believes the turnovers will ultimately decide the winner on Saturday.

"I think it's a game that OU can win," Dvoracek said on 'The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.' "I think it's a game that honestly can go either way. This is going to sound way over simplistic, but these are two quarterbacks who both have had issues of turning the ball over. Which defense can create some takeaways? That's the difference in this game. If John Mateer takes care of the football, I think Oklahoma is going to have a great chance to win. If you turn it over a couple of times, I don't want to bring back the ghosts of 2024. I know that was pre-John Mateer, but what was that? Was that 21 in the first five minutes? That game was over in five minutes of real time… And why was it over? Turnovers."

Ball security will be critical for Oklahoma, particularly with John Mateer facing a South Carolina defense looking for opportunities to create takeaways. The Sooners have shown they can move the football, but those drives will mean little if turnovers keep erasing scoring chances and adding pressure on the defense. Mateer doesn't need to force plays to make an impact; making sound decisions and taking what the defense gives him will be just as important as generating explosive plays.

Photos of Oklahoma's win over Mississippi State

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