South-Carolina
Everything Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwitz Said After Loss to South Carolina
The Missouri Tigers suffered their third loss of the season Saturday at South Carolina, falling 34-30 in a tight game with five lead changes. Missouri scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:10 remaining but could not seal the deal, allowing a six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in 47 seconds.
Here’s a full transcript of what head coach Eli Drinkwitz had to say following the loss.
Opening Statement:
“Coach [Shane] Beamer and his football team, they earned it right there on that last drive and hats off to them. Disappointed for our guys that we couldn’t find a way to win. Had opportunities, both in the first half and second half, and just didn’t execute well enough when we needed to in order to win the game.”
“Really proud of them. Proud of both sides of the ball. The fourth-down stops by the defense to get us back in going on a little run right there. Both sides of the ball did what they needed to do. We just came up short. In the second half, defensively, we couldn’t get off the field right there on the last drive, and in the first half, we went 0-for-six, three of those in the red zone. That’s the difference in the game.”
On the mindset of his team during close games:
“I just think there’s a relentlessness that our team plays with and believes in. Just didn’t have enough tonight.”
On the performance of Missouri’s pass rushing unit:
“I thought they did some really good things, but our inability to get him on the ground on that last drive was bad.”
On Brady Cook’s performance:
“Gutty performance, led his team down there, played well. Obviously we missed some third downs, and that’s going to be something that we have to assess. But I thought he did everything he could to give us a chance to win.”
On his message to his team:
“Don’t hang your heads. This is college football on the road versus a ranked team. Gave yourself a chance to win. You didn’t get it done. We got two games left to go finish. So, you can be disappointed, but we can’t be devastated and we won’t hang our heads.”
On the offense’s struggles in the red zone:
“Ultimately, I think that’s the difference in the game. In the first half, we had the fourth-down stop and then had the turnover, and didn’t get any points off the turnover, with the missed field goal, went three-and out right there and the sack. And our inability to convert third downs in the red zone in the first half was why we were behind and ultimately, the difference in the score. IF any of those are touchdowns, it’s different game.”
On the explosive passes let up by the defense:
“They were getting separation in man, and we weren’t able to get to the quarterback. We’re gonna have to reassess what we’re doing there.”
On the confusion with South Carolina’s failed fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter:
“The explanation that I got was they had a miscommunication on their sideline to give it a first down, and the guy on our sideline knew that it was not the mark needed to be measured, and so it was just a miscommunication, and that’s why they measured it.”
On Luther Burden III’s touchdown:
“We had a different play called. They pressed, quarterback adjusted it with the wide receiver, and he had a great release, great football throw and one handed catch. Dissapointed that we wasted that.”
On Nate Noel and the offensive line’s performance:
“They were able to get Brady comfortable. We end edup giving the two sacks, but it was on the last drive in the last play the first half. So, quarterback had plenty of protection. We were able to keep the defensive ends off balance, and we did what we needed to. We just didn’t execute right there at the end to finish it, we didn’t execute on third downs in the red zone.”
On Brady Cook and Nate Noel returning from injury to play:
“They’re tough guys. Man, this Brotherhood’s not for soft people.”
On the decision to elect to receive the opening kick:
“We wanted to take the ball and go down and score, and we did, but we needed to execute on that third down. We just felt like having an opportunity to try to take control of the atmosphere.”
On the decision to attempt a two-point conversion after scoring their first touchdown:
“Down 15, and so you can either wait late and see how it goes, or you can go for two there and then figure out if it’s a two-possession game, which is what we did. So went for it. ends up allowing us to kick the field goal and then knowing we need a touchdown late. So it’s just a different way to play it. I felt like when we scored, I think there’s maybe five minutes left to go in the third quarter, and they had one possession, we had one possession. So I kind of needed to force the issue on what was going to be the timing of the rest of the game.”
On Brady Cook’s toughness to return from injury:
“I’m proud of him for competing and demonstrating toughness.”
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Sooners On SI will break down Oklahoma’s 2026 schedule, opponent by opponent, for a series dubbed “Know Your Foe.” You can look forward to an opponent breakdown each day. Catch up by checking out the preview for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Former Oklahoma assistant coach Shane Beamer finds himself on shaky ground heading into 2026. This is a make-or-break year for Beamer, whose South Carolina squad retained a great deal of talent while also adding some exciting names.
For Beamer, it could very well come down to how his team performs in his second game in Norman as an opposing head coach.
How the Sooners enter their third consecutive matchup with the Gamecocks could very well tell us how the rest of the 2026 season is going to go. South Carolina is banking on experience to extend Beamer’s future.
How will the Sooners fare against the Gamecocks? But first, some history.
Past Battles
South Carolina has been sort of a spotlight game for Oklahoma in their initial two seasons in the SEC.
In 2024, following their second loss of the season, the Sooners returned to Norman with their sights set on rebounding with a win to set up a strong finish. Those hopes were dashed immediately when the Gamecocks scored 21 points in the blink of an eye, leading to a comfortable victory. OU’s season would not rebound.
2025 saw the Sooners in a similar spot. After losing their first game of the season to Texas, OU traveled to Columbia for the first time ever hoping to rebound. They didjust that—setting them up to have an opportunity for a strong finish.
Returning Starters
The dynamic LaNorris Sellers returned to Columbia despite rumors speculating that he may try and find greener pastures elsewhere. This was more than good news for Beamer. Sellers’ big play ability keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
Wide receiver Nyck Harbor followed suit by returning to South Carolina as well. Harbor gives Sellers and the USC offense a gamebreaking factor that pairs well with Sellers’ capabilities. Last year, Harbor scored six touchdowns and had three games of 100 or more yards receiving.
Edge rusher Dylan Stewart—who OU was able to avoid last year following a hip injury sustained early in the first quarter—also announced he would return for a final season of college ball. At 6-6, 250 pounds, Stewart projects as one of the more talented defensive players in the country.
New Faces
With 25 new players via the transfer portal, Beamer left no stone unturned to try and right the wrongs of 2025.
After sitting out the last two seasons due to injuries and some legal trouble, Jayden Gibson landed in Columbia to attempt to revive his career. When he was healthy in 2023, Gibson proved to be a valuable pass catcher with his size and hands.
Big 6-5 tight end Max Drag chose to play for the Gamecocks following a career jumping from Appalachin State to UCF. Drag was primarily used as a blocker, which bodes well for USC’s QB-run oriented attack.
Linebacker Kelby Collins came in from Alabama. In a rotational role, Collins earned two sacks and three tackles for loss last year. Oklahoma saw Collins twice in 2025.
Key Departures
Edge rusher Byrant Thomas Jr. entered the draft, taking away USC’s one-two punch at defensive end. Thomas’ blend of size and speed made him a force on the defensive line for South Carolina.
Big play pass catcher Vandrevious Jacobs took his 17 yards per catch talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Hurricanes.
Tight end Michael Smith was on his way to a promising start of his Gamecock career following a solid true freshman outing in 2024, but was limited last season due to injuries.
Schedule Placement
For OU, the back half of their schedule begins after hosting USC. With two tough home games bookended by two tough road games, Oklahoma’s matchup with the Gamecocks could prove pivotal for how the rest of the season goes.
If the Sooners navigated their initial brutal three games of Michigan, Georgia and Texas well, then by the time they’ve made it to late October, the Gamecocks should only serve to provide Oklahoma as a final open-book test sort of matchup.
But if OU goes 1-2 or worse in those initial three games, then the Sooners may be fighting for their season’s very life hosting the Gamecocks.
USC finds OU on the crucible section of their schedule. The Gamecocks travel to Knoxville the week before Norman, only to then play Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson.
South Carolina women’s basketball starting guard Tessa Johnson was not listed on the injury report Feb. 28 for the Gamecocks’ final regular-season game at Kentucky.
Johnson was practicing on Feb. 27 after missing the 112-71 win over Missouri, but coach Dawn Staley wouldn’t confirm her status for the next game.
No. 3 South Carolina (28-2, 14-1) travels to play No. 18 Kentucky (21-8, 8-7 SEC) on March 1 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network) to close the regular season.
South Carolina called it an “upper body contusion” on social media not long after she was listed as out on the SEC injury report that published an hour before tipoff vs Missouri.
Staley joked that media would post on social media that Johnson was practicing with the starters, setting the tone that she isn’t hiding the latest on Johnson’s health.
Johnson is a junior guard averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. She leads the SEC in 3-point shooting at 45.5%, which is also eighth in the nation.
Johnson struggled in her two most recent games. She went combined 2-of-13 for six points against Alabama and Ole Miss, just after going 8-of-13 for 21 points against LSU.
Staley said sophomore reserve post/center Adhel Tac is day to day dealing with a lower leg injury. Tac hasn’t played since Feb. 5. She’s still using a medical scooter to move around and has been sitting out practices. She was listed as out again vs Kentucky.
Tessa Johnson injury update, status for Kentucky
The Wildcats have talented guards who can score and defend, in addition to post players like 6-foot-5 center Clara Strack, who averages 16.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Tonie Morgan scores 14.4 points and dishes a nation-high 8.3 assists a game.
Johnson is third in the nation in 3-point shooting at 45.5%. By posing a threat behind the arc, players like Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot get more action in the paint.
Raven Johnson hit a career-high four 3-pointers against Missouri and Maddy McDaniel drained two, but there’s no denying how much Johnson elevates the offense.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf begins the month of March at the Colleton River Collegiate this Sunday and Monday at Colleton River Club (par 72, 7403 yards).
UK joins a 15-team field for the 54-hole event, which will consist of 36 holes of continuous play on Sunday, followed by 18 holes on Monday. An 8 a.m. shotgun start will kick things off on Sunday, while Monday’s final round will begin with another shotgun start, this time at 7:45 a.m.
UK is paired with Indiana, Kansas State and Ohio State for the first day of play.
The Wildcats will utilize the same starting five, albeit in a different order, as was featured at the Watersound Invitational just two weeks ago. There, the Cats finished seventh in a loaded field and found themselves as high as third place during the final nine holes.
Sophomore Jacob Settles had the best showing of his collegiate career, finishing tied for seventh at 5-under par, while senior captain Jack Schoenberger had his highest finish of the season, placing tied for 14th at 2-under.
Jacob Lang, Luke Coyle and Cole Stockard will complete UK’s starting five alongside Settles and Schoenberger, the fourth time in six events the Wildcats have featured this starting unit.
Freshman Cameron Phillips will tee it up as an individual once again after an impressive showing in the same role at the Watersound where he tied for 29th and had two rounds under par.
Fans can follow along with live scoring on the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd website.
Kentucky Lineup:
- Jack Schoenberger: Senior, Alpharetta, Ga
- Jacob Lang: Sophomore, Alvaton, Ky.
- Jacob Settles: Sophomore, Winchester, Ky
- Luke Coyle: Junior, Campbellsville, Ky.
- Cole Stockard: Freshman, Dalton, Ga.
Ind. Cameron Phillips: Freshman, Portsmouth, Ohio
Competing Schools (15): Chattanooga, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers
For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.
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