A Defense That's 'Hungry to Overcome Adversity' has Oklahoma Back on Track

"(It's) definitely a big step, being away in a nice stadium," Halton said. "It was packed when it first started. It wasn't as packed when it ended. My guys, they're excited. They're happy that we got the W, but just on to the next week, because we got big more games to play."

The senior defensive lineman finished the 26-7 win with three tackles, two solo to go along with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Play after play, Halton, who only registered 24 snaps per Pro Football Focus, disrupted the Gamecock offense with relentless pressure.

More Oklahoma Football

• Oklahoma Back on the Move in the Polls Following Emphatic Victory Over South Carolina
• SEC Network Brings Pregame Show Back to Norman for Ole Miss Game
• Taylor Wein Shined at South Carolina as Oklahoma Refused to Let Texas Setback Define Season

The performance was but another example of the defense and the team getting one step closer to the vision Venables has for the program.

"The guys definitely want to do it for him (Venables) and just for the team," Halton said. "It was a great win for the team. You know, just having that mindset, just you know that we can do it. It’s hard to play in away games. Not everybody can do it. And we overcame."

The Gamecocks came into the contest desperate and reeling at 3-3. Shane Beamer's squad did the same thing last year in their first trip to Norman. That game began disastrous for Oklahoma. A year later, the Sooners feel much better about their standing in the SEC following a great defensive game.

LaNorris Sellers presents a challenge for any aggressive defense and he did today even in defeat. OU was able to sack Sellers six times, but he evaded a handful more on his athleticism alone. Halton was in on a few of those missed opportunities, but he and his teammates weren't surprised or phased by a few mistakes with Sellers.

"That was the game plan (to pressure Sellers)," Halton said. "We had to keep him caged up, because he's a great quarterback. If we let him go, he ain't no telling what he’s gonna do. So we've been watching him all week. Just had a game plan to just cage him up."

With a solid road win, Oklahoma now eyes yet another big game in conference next weekend when the Ole Miss Rebels make their first trip to Norman (11 a.m.). It will be another opportunity for Halton and the defense to further show their Texas second half performance was an outlier.

"What I saw was a defense that was hungry, a defense that was ready to overcome adversity, a defense that had the right mindset to go into this game and whatever happens, they were going to overcome," Halton said of their second half performance against South Carolina. "I didn’t see no guys’ heads down when it happened. I didn’t see none of that today. And you know, that’s what you want.

"You want that good energy," Halton added. "You want everybody having their head up knowing that next play is going to be all good. I feel like that’s what the mentality that they had is, it’s next play."