Brady Cook directs Missouri past No. 25 South Carolina 23-10

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Brady Prepare dinner didn’t let Missouri’s early struggles this season change his outlook on what the Tigers may accomplish. He made certain his teammates wouldn’t let that occur, both.

Prepare dinner and the Tigers, who opened 0-3 in Southeastern Convention play, directed three lengthy, first-half drives to constructed a 17-0 lead on the way in which to their 23-10 victory over No. 25 South Carolina on Saturday night time.

“It was a tricky three weeks,” Prepare dinner stated of his workforce’s SEC losses. However he made certain the Tigers knew how shut they had been to success.

“There’s no motive to surrender now,” Prepare dinner remembered.

That perseverance was evident for Missouri (4-4, 2-3 SEC) in its fourth straight win over South Carolina (5-3, 2-3).

“I confirmed and we confirmed what we will do,” Prepare dinner stated.

It was a dominating efficiency over the Gamecocks, who got here in with a four-game win streak and within the nationwide rankings for the primary time since early within the 2018 season.

Receiver Dominic Lovett had profession highs with 10 catches for 148 yards whereas the Tigers’ protection had 11 tackles behind the road of scrimmage and held the Gamecocks to 203 complete yards.

Missouri beat a ranked opponent for the primary time since its 45-41 win over No. 17 LSU on Oct. 10, 2020.

It was laborious for even probably the most optimistic amongst Tigers followers to see this coming. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz informed his seniors earlier this season that simply because the outcomes aren’t there, “that doesn’t imply you haven’t created optimistic change in this system.”

Drinkwitz hopes the positivity continues the ultimate month of the season. It may if Prepare dinner retains main like this.

He accomplished 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards with out an interception. He added 53 yards and a landing on the bottom. as Prepare dinner’s regular hand stored driving Missouri ahead.

Prepare dinner led a 15-play, 96-yard scoring drive that took up a lot of the first quarter and which he ended together with his 3-yard burst to the tip zone.

The Tigers went on one other prolonged drive on their subsequent possession, this one going 84 yards in 10 performs and ending with Cody Schrader’s 1-yard run.

When Harrison Mevis hit a 19-yard subject aim, Missouri was up 17-0 late within the first half.

The Gamecocks couldn’t dig themselves out of that gap and completed with their fewest factors since shedding to No. 1 Georgia 48-7 on Sept. 17.

“Each single week you need to be at your greatest, and we weren’t at our greatest as coaches or as gamers,” Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer stated.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler scored the workforce’s lone landing on a 7-yard run proper earlier than halftime.

Rattler handed for simply 146 yards with an interception and a fumble deep in Tigers’ territory. Tailback MarShawn Lloyd, who ran for 451 yards and 7 TDs as South Carolina gained its previous 4, had simply 30 yards on seven makes an attempt.

Beamer stated Lloyd has a “fairly vital” bruise on his leg. Lloyd couldn’t return within the second half.

Mevis added subject targets of fifty and 32 yards for Missouri within the second half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Missouri: The Tigers moved the ball persistently on offense and had been dominant on protection to completely take aside South Carolina. If Missouri can preserve Prepare dinner protected and proceed its defensive success on third downs (the Gamecocks transformed simply 5 of 13 probabilities), will probably be in each recreation down the stretch.

South Carolina: All the nice issues the Gamecocks had gained on offense and protection throughout their four-game profitable streak went up in smoke in opposition to Missouri. They’ll need to get proper in a rush to achieve a bowl recreation. After a visit to Vanderbilt, they end with an Orange Crush of Florida, No. 3 Tennessee and No. 5 Clemson.

TROPHY GAME

Missouri gained the Mayor’s Cup that’s contested between the 2 SEC East groups whose campuses are situated in Columbia of their respective states. Missouri will get to maintain the Cup for a fourth straight yr. “It’s a trophy recreation,” cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. stated. “We wished to take one thing with us.”

FRUSTRATED FANS

Beamer has frequently heard from supporters bothered by what they see as ineffective play-calling at occasions within the workforce’s defeats. Beamer stated the problems are collectively as a workforce, not any particular person. “I perceive their frustrations. We flat out laid an egg tonight,” he stated.

UP NEXT

Missouri returns house to play No. 19 Kentucky on Saturday.

South Carolina goes to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

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