COLUMBIA — Oklahoma’s John Mateer threaded a beautiful pass to Isaiah Sategna in the end zone, putting the No. 14 Sooners up 24-7 in the third quarter and effectively icing the game. Fans began streaming out of Williams-Brice Stadium to find some joy, either in the parking-lot tailgates or the State Fair next door.

Because there is still none to be found inside the fortress at the corner of George Rogers Blvd. and Bluff Road, not after South Carolina lost 26-7 to the Sooners with not much more than a peep on offense. And as the Gamecocks’ season begins to circle the drain, a year stapled to expected greatness instead looking like it will be home for Christmas, there is the question of what to look forward to.

This year seems past saving. And in a week where coach Shane Beamer already mad

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