Thumbs up, thumbs down: Reactions from South Carolina at Missouri
South Carolina fell to Missouri 29-20 Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. The Gamecocks held the lead in the fourth quarter before a late Tigers touchdown and game-sealing drive resulted in a Gamecocks loss.
Here’s what immediately stood out, good and bad, for USC:
Thumbs up
Sellers healthy and serviceable: If there were any questions about how quarterback LaNorris Sellers would fare after leaving the Vanderbilt game in the first half due to an apparent head injury, he quelled the concerns. Sellers finished 18 for 28 with 302 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yard bomb to Vandrevius Jacobs in the second quarter. He looked calm and collected under pass pressure and took advantage of defensive lapses, though he was sacked five times and hurried six other times.
Receiving trio shows up: Vandrevius Jacobs, Nyck Harbor and Brian Rowe Jr. were the three wide receivers leading the Gamecocks’ pass attack, which finished with 302 yards and two touchdowns. The majority of the trio’s yards came on chunk plays where the pass catchers broke open on poor Mizzou coverage.
Defensive backs make timely plays: While Mizzou finished with 171 yards and a touchdown through the air, the Gamecocks’ pass defense came up big in key moments. The DB group finished with three pass breakups, all coming on third downs. USC defender Gerald Kilgore had an interception.
Thumbs down
Penalty problems persist: After being called for eight penalties and 85 penalty yards in the loss to Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks continued to struggle with avoiding flags against the Tigers. USC finished the game with 14 penalties for 98 yards, including six pre-snap penalties.
Hard(l)y tackling: South Carolina had issues finishing plays with secure tackles, and no other Mizzou player took advantage more than running back Ahmad Hardy. The sophomore finished with 138 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, with a large chunk of his yards coming on second and third efforts after contact. Jamal Roberts scored the game-winning touchdown for Missouri on a 16-yard rush where he escaped multiple attempted tackles.
Rushing attack: Mike Shula’s offense couldn’t get things going on the ground Saturday. Four rushers, excluding Sellers, combined for 12 carries and just 19 yards. If you factor in Sellers’ sacks, the total becomes 22 carries for negative nine yards.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM.
