The Missouri Tigers (6-1, 2-1 SEC) come in ranked No. 20 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll heading into their Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon against the South Carolina Gamecocks (2-4, 1-3 SEC).

As Mizzou looks for a win right before their bye week, they’ll need to get past a reeling Gamecocks team first. Kick-off on Saturday in COMO is set for 2:30 p.m. CST on the SEC Network.

To get a perspective on the Gamecocks and their state of the program, we talked it over with Kevin Miller over at Garnet and Cocky.

Here’s the Q&A to get you ready and informed on the matchup:

Sammy Stava: South Carolina has struggled this season as they’re off to a 2-4 start through six games with only one win vs an FBS opponent (Mississippi State). Considering the expectations coming in, how disappointing has this been for the Gamecocks’ program in Year 3 under Shane Beamer?

Kevin Miller: Frankly, this season is teetering on disaster for the Gamecocks. Considering the significant improvement from the offense from 2022 to 2023, a season with comparable results to last year was entirely reasonable, even with the nation’s toughest strength of schedule. However, the Carolina defense has regressed tremendously, and USC has to win 4 of 6 to end the year just to make a bowl. It’s extremely disappointing. Thanks to the work of Shane Beamer and his staff, the program is not in trouble yet, though. The recruiting efforts and culture rebuild from the Muschamp era are both still intact. However, fans can think of 2023 as creating a probation period moving forward for the South Carolina football program. If 2024 is not a step up from 2023, things will get bad in a hurry, but some improvement will see positive momentum pick back up in Columbia.

SS: The Gamecocks got off to a slow start last season but turned their season around with signature wins over Tennessee and Clemson late in the year. Does this year’s team have the potential to right the ship and turns things around?

KM: There are some major differences between 2022 and 2023 that make 2023 a much harder “turnaround” than what we all witnessed a season ago. The Gamecock defense was fine (not good, but not bad either). The offense stunk, but it was obvious that talent was there. Once the disconnect between former offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and his unit was gone, the talent shone through. The 2023 defense, however, is not just poorly coached like last year’s offense; the 2023 defense also has some serious personnel issues. The most glaring issue is that the nickel position has been atrocious in man coverage this season, but everyone who has played there (mainly run-stopping safeties playing out-of-position) is still asked to man up with whoever is in the slot. Teams have moved their top receivers to the slot intentionally to take advantage of this fact, and that is a big reason why Carolina ranks 130th out of 130 teams in passing defense. Considering the fact that Luther Burden (Mizzou), Ainias Smith (A&M), Tayvion Robinson (Kentucky), and Antonio Williams (Clemson) are all comfortable in the slot, that likely isn’t going away. Because of that, a big turnaround doesn’t seem likely, and even reaching the 6-win bowl-eligibility threshold is unlikely.

SS: What were your thoughts about Shane Beamer’s press conference after the loss to Florida? Do you think this team will come out with an inspired effort after the comments he made?

KM: For the most part, I didn’t have a problem with Beamer’s press conference. His criticism of execution was correct, and his criticism of coaching was correct. Where he erred was that he didn’t start with personal accountability. Instead, he criticized his team (something every coach in America does). Had he switched the order of his words and started with personal accountability, no one would be talking about the press conference. A head coach has to accept blame, and Beamer did that. However, as the man in charge making millions of dollars, a coach also has to make sure to start there, and that is where Beamer failed.

The team seems to be responding well this week in practice and media availability. Most player interviews, especially with defensive players, have included some version of “We need to execute better” or “We need to play better.” It’s a start. We will see if any of it sticks come Saturday.

SS: What has been the biggest issue that is plaguing South Carolina in their losses, and are they fixable at this point? What is the biggest strength of this team that they can pinpoint to for success?

KM: South Carolina’s biggest issues on the season are poor offensive line play and awful pass defense in the middle of the field.

The offensive line has allowed Spencer Rattler to be sacked far too many times in 2023. His high level of play has masked some of it, but the issue is still there. The running game is inconsistent due to the struggles up front, as well.

I’ve already mentioned the struggles at nickel, but the Gamecock linebackers aren’t good in coverage, and the safeties are inconsistent with the ball in the air. Teams have had a lot of success running crossing routes or deep slants just behind the linebackers because they can’t cover in man or in zone. The safeties make plays at times, but none of them are the “free safety” roaming type of safety that makes life difficult on quarterbacks. A weak pass rush doesn’t help either one of those issues, either.

The issues are not fixable at this point, but the offense has been good enough that even a moderate improvement on defense could lead to a few wins. While Missouri, Texas A&M, Clemson, and even Kentucky have been better teams this year, they are all beatable, even if it is unlikely.

The biggest strength, as mentioned, is the offense. Spencer Rattler would be a Heisman contender on a better team, and Xavier Legette is college football’s biggest out-of-nowhere wide receiver success story of the season. The running game is getting better with the emergence of D-II transfer running back Mario Anderson, and the tight ends are coming along when utilized correctly. South Carolina is capable of scoring 30+ each week, so if the defense has a decent game, the Gamecocks will have a chance to win.

Something to watch on offense: the Gamecocks are among the best offensive teams in the country in the first half, especially in the first quarter. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has had great success with his early-game scripts, and Spencer Rattler has started almost every game with a ridiculous stat line like 11-11 or 12-13. If USC doesn’t start off well, this came could get ugly, but if they do, I believe this one will be a one-score game for most of the afternooon.

Advertisement

SS: Other than Spencer Rattler, who are some players on the offensive side that Mizzou fans will need to pay attention to? Who on the defensive side is making an impact this season?

KM: On offense, Missouri should be worried about Xavier Legette. Legette and Luther Burden have been alternating the receiving yardage lead in the SEC for much of the season. Legette has run the fastest ball-in-hand sprint speed of any player in football this season (college or NFL), and he is one of the country’s best jump ball players, as well. He’s very capable of going over the top of the defense but is also very dangerous when he catches a cross or slant in stride.

Mario Anderson (the D-II running back) is fun. He LOVES football, and playing for his home state Gamecocks is a lifelong dream. He’s strong, he’s fast, and he plays hard—three of the top traits you want in a running back. If he can be more consistent with finding the hole, he could be really good.

The Gamecock tight ends Trey Knox and Josh Simon are good players. Knox struggles to block, but Simon is good at the point of attack. Both players are strong and are good receiving threats. Knox has a knack for finding soft spots in the defense, and Simon is a freak athlete.

Nyck Harbor is a 5-star true freshman who doesn’t play a bunch. He’s new to the wide receiver position so he likely won’t see that many snaps, but at 6’5” and 240 pounds, he is among the fastest sprinters in the world in the 100-meter and 200-meter and will run in the Olympics. If #8 is in the game, fans have to watch for him because he might do something special.

On defense, Carolina has been led by two players this season. Defensive tackle TJ Sanders leads the team in sacks and has one SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week award. He is athletic and plays with a mean streak. If he has any help up front and can avoid being double-teamed, he will make plays. Freshman safety Jalon Kilgore is in the top-5 in the SEC in tackles and will be a special player.

Advertisement

Linebacker Debo Williams will flash at times. He’s extremely aggressive and is one of the hardest hitters in the country. His inconsistencies with the mental side of the game keep him from being great as he struggles with run fits and is a bad player in coverage.

Cornerback Marcellas Dial has lockdown potential, and he has shut down some talented receivers at times in his career. However, he susceptible to busts and is a poor tackler. Nick Emmanwori (a safety who will play nickel on Saturday) and DQ Smith were freshmen All-Americans at safety and are good run support players.

SS: What will need South Carolina need to do on Saturday to come away with an upset on the road? The Gamecocks are currently 7.5-point underdogs. How do you see this game going?

KM: If the Gamecocks are going to win in COMO, they have to create turnovers. The defense isn’t good enough to stop Brady Cook and Luther Burden, both of whom would be on All-SEC teams if the season ended today. They probably aren’t good enough to stop Cody Schrader, either. However, if the Gamecocks can go back to their 2021 and 2022 defensive ways and take the ball away from the Tigers a time or two, the offense is good enough to win the game.

Drink and Company have a pretty well-established plan for how they attack Beamer’s Carolina teams. In very boa constrictor-like fashion, he has choked the life out of the Gamecocks the last two seasons (and even in 2020 when Mike Bobo was the interim head coach after Muschamp’s firing). However, this game feels like it will be different as Spencer Rattler is different. In what will be a sneaky matchup between two of the SEC’s top quarterback-wide receiver duos (Rattler-Legette, Cook-Burden), I see this game looking a lot like South Carolina’s game last Saturday against Florida. I think both offenses will have success. Which defense can step up with more big stops, turnovers, or forced field goals will get the win. If pressed to pick a score, I think the home environment gives the Mizzou defense a little extra edge to slow the Gamecocks in the second half and push the Tigers to a 38-31 victory.

A thank you to Kevin for taking his time on these as he provided a lot of good stuff. Visit Garnet and Cocky and follow them on Twitter for South Carolina coverage this week.