South Carolina football turnovers remain issue with Oklahoma up next

Coach Shane Beamer said after South Carolina football’s 27-25 loss to No. 7 Alabama that his team is tired of feeling the way they do.

“I hurt for them, we are sick of this feeling, they work too hard during the week to come in on Saturday and feel like that in the locker room,” Beamer said.

The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) put up 19 unanswered points on the Crimson Tide (5-1, 2-1) in Bryant-Denny Stadium, but even after a touchdown with 50 seconds left, and a successful onside kick, Alabama avoided back-to-back losses.

Before Saturday, the Gamecocks had racked up 41 penalties for a loss of 376 yards, including a combined 15 penalties for a loss of 150 yards in Weeks 4 and 5.

Against the Crimson Tide, the Gamecocks had six penalties for a loss of 49 yards.

It’s no coincidence that South Carolina played its most complete game against Alabama, which was the second-lowest number of penalties the Gamecocks have been called for since the season opener.

Now with Oklahoma on the horizon, what’s next to fix?

Turnovers.

The Gamecocks face the Sooners (4-1, 1-2) who have the worst offense in the SEC, in a Week 8 showdown in Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

South Carolina football turnovers vs Alabama

The Gamecocks showed in five days they can become a disciplined team as Ole Miss proved otherwise, but a piece of the puzzle they still haven’t found is how to protect the football.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw an interception with 11 seconds left to seal the loss. However, that shouldn’t hold the same weight as his two fumbles. Sellers tried for a last-second throw and it landed in Alabama’s hands. However, the fumbles were moments the Gamecocks can’t continue to repeat.

In South Carolina’s Week 2 win over Kentucky, Sellers fumbled twice, but both times the Gamecocks recovered them. That luck wasn’t going to always be there, and Saturday, it wasn’t. Ball security hasn’t improved in the last four weeks and eventually became the difference between a win and a loss.

Right before halftime, after a safety, Sellers fumbled on a chance to take the lead.

Up 19-14, Sellers fumbled again, and Alabama’s offense capitalized with a go-ahead touchdown.

South Carolina has fumbled 14 times and lost eight of those. Of those fumbles, the Gamecocks two quarterbacks have fumbled 12 times and lost four. Three of those fumbles lost have come from Sellers, one from backup QB Robby Ashford.

Against Ole Miss, Sellers was sacked six times. On Saturday against Alabama, he was sacked four times. His first fumble was on a sack, a fault of both him and his offensive line, but the second, Sellers just dropped the ball.

“Just practice, that’s all you can do, get better and not turn the ball over,” Sellers answered when asked about improving the turnovers.

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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football turnovers is an issue with Oklahoma up next