Four things we learned in South Carolina’s demoralizing loss to Missouri
South Carolina’s 2022 season took a brutal blow on Saturday.
USC (5-3, 2-3 SEC) dropped its homecoming game to Missouri in a sluggish 23-10 loss at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Here are five things we learned from the game:
South Carolina’s offense is what it is
South Carolina has undoubtedly upgraded its offensive talent, but Saturday was another clunker in almost two years filled with them.
USC finished with 208 yards, the second-lowest output of the Shane Beamer era. The Gamecocks mustered just 43 yards of offense in the fourth quarter. It was held to minus-5 rushing yards in the second half.
That’s not going to get it done against anyone.
South Carolina has playmakers. Spencer Rattler had a handful of throws that reminded you of his stunning arm talent. Receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells and tight end Austin Stogner were both productive against the Tigers. MarShawn Lloyd also continues to look like an All-SEC-caliber back.
But nights like this keep happening. And South Carolina is going to need to continue to find ways to win in spite of its offense.
The defense was uncharacteristically off
Clayton White’s had a lot of good days at the office since arriving in Columbia a year ago.
He received a much-deserved raise over the offseason. He’s seen his name thrown around for head coaching candidacies. But Saturday was out of character.
The Gamecocks were carved up by a Tigers offense that’s ranked among the league’s worst this year. Brady Cook looked more like Missouri legend Chase Daniel than his erratic self during a 17-of-26, 224-yard performance.
South Carolina was without starting linebacker Brad Johnson. Still, the Gamecocks seemed out of sorts on the back end as Missouri receiver Dominic Lovett raced around the secondary for 148 yards on 10 catches.
White and his staff deserve the benefit of the doubt. In truth, they had some crucial lockdown moments that kept South Carolina in the game Saturday. But the Gamecocks need to be better defensively in looming matchups against Florida, Tennessee and Clemson.
USC’s offensive line struggles returned
The Gamecocks offensive line deserves some credit. It looked vastly improved over USC’s four-game win streak. Saturday, though, was a return to weeks past.
The disruptive Missouri defensive front chased Rattler for most of the night. The exotic stunts and blitzes the Tigers employed created issues for interim offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley’s bunch.
Missouri finished the night with three quarterback hurries, four sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. That’s not going to fly down the stretch.
South Carolina has shown its offensive line can create running lanes and keep Rattler upright. It will need more of the form it showed during the win streak than on Saturday to get bowl-eligible and beyond the next few weeks.
MarShawn Lloyd is the key to the South Carolina offense
South Carolina’s offense, as noted, was a mess on Saturday — it also accentuated how important Lloyd is for this group.
Lloyd was hampered for a good chunk of the night, eventually sitting out most of the second half. Beamer diagnosed his issue as a severe bruise on his thigh. How long that sidelines him, we’ll see.
The Gamecocks, though, need him to get healthier.
Lloyd has been a human wrecking ball over the last month-plus. He averaged just under 115 yards per game during the Gamecocks’ four-game win streak. He finished South Carolina’s loss on Saturday night with 30 yards on seven rushes.
The Gamecocks offense has looked lost too often over Beamer’s almost two years. That said, it’s been at its best when Lloyd is at his best. South Carolina needs more of that equation the final month of the season.
This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
