Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina suffers home loss to Missouri
Here’s a look at what went right and wrong in No. 25 South Carolina’s 23-10 loss to Missouri on Saturday, which snapped the Gamecocks’ four-game winning streak.
USC thumbs up
Austin Stogner: In a tough loss for the Gamecocks, there isn’t much of a silver lining to point to, but the play of the Stogner was one bright spot. A transfer tight end from Oklahoma who joined quarterback Spencer Rattler in transferring to the Gamecocks, Stogner showed the tandem’s chemistry early, catching the game’s first pass from the USC signal caller. He finished with a team-high 63 yards on four catches.
Second-half defense: Though the Mizzou offense seemingly had its way with the Gamecocks in the first half, the USC defense tightened up in the second, keeping the Tigers out of the end zone and holding them to just two field goals. USC’s offense was nowhere near efficient enough to mount a comeback, but the USC defense kept the Gamecocks within striking distance late into the contest.
USC thumbs down
South Carolina’s offense: Plain and simple, USC played listless offensive football for the majority of the contest. The team’s one touchdown drive — at the tail end of the first half — was buoyed by three consecutive defensive penalties by Missouri to set up a 7-yard touchdown scramble for quarterback Rattler. Otherwise, the Gamecocks offense was defined by consistent third-and-longs and four three-and-outs on its first eight drives. Rattler also fumbled trying to run for a first down on a third-and-long, and he was bailed out by Mizzou missing a 21-yard field goal. The issues weren’t entirely on Rattler. The offensive line didn’t create consistent protection, and the Gamecock running game never got going, especially with MarShawn Lloyd in and out of the game tending to an injury.
Third-down defense: Mizzou dominated possession time in the first half (19:41 to 10:19), in large part because South Carolina’s defense struggled to get off the field on third down. The Tigers converted six of their eight third-down attempts in the first half and ran 38 plays — compared to just 23 for USC’s offense. All three of Mizzou’s first-half scoring drives were at least 10 plays as the Tigers showed little issue marching down the field.
Defending the run: Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the Gamecocks struggled to contain the Tigers on the ground, allowing 101 rushing yards in the first half alone. Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook showed his dual-threat ability by running several read-option plays where he took the ball himself instead of handing it to the halfback. Cook scrambled for the first touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run on a read-option, and he broke off a 23-yard run during a scoring drive in the second quarter.
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 7:26 PM.
