South-Carolina
Scouting report: South Carolina
The Missouri Tigers (7-2, 3-2 SEC) played a thrilling game, coming back late to beat Oklahoma on a scoop-and-score with 30 seconds left, keeping the hopes of a College Football Playoff appearance alive.
Now to keep the dream alive, they’ll have to face off with South Carolina.
The Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3 SEC) comes in hot on a three-game win streak, beating Oklahoma 35-9, now-No. __ Texas A&M 44-20 and Vanderbilt 28-7.
The Gamecock’s three losses have come to LSU (36-33), Ole Miss (27-3) and Alabama (27-25).
South Carolina opened as a 10-point favorite according to Circa Sports.
Here’s a glance at South Carolina and what Missouri will face at 3:15 p.m. central time Saturday as the Tigers vie for the Mayor’s Cup.
When: 3:15 p.m. CT, Saturday.
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Tiger Radio Network
Missouri leads the all-time series 9-5 and has won the past five matchups by an average of 13 points.
All but two of the games in the series have come since Missouri joined the SEC. The first two battles were Missouri bowl wins in 1979 (24-14 in the Hall of Fame classic) and 2005 (38-31 in the Independence Bowl).
South Carolina’s last win in the series was a 37-35 win in South Carolina in 2018.
Scoring offense: 30.22 (No. 53)
Scoring defense: 17.56 (No. 12)
Rushing offense: 180.7 (No. 45)
Rushing defense: 107.2 (No. 14)
Passing offense: 198.2 (No. 98)
Passing defense: 194.1 (No. 32)
OFFENSE
LaNorris Sellers, QB
The redshirt freshman has shined in his first season at the helm of the Gamecock offense. He stands at 6-foot, 3-inches, 242-pounds and has completed 115-of-187 (61.5 percent) of his passes for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions. He has also rushed for 391 yards and four touchdowns on 112 carries.
He’s played in eight of the team’s nine games this season, missing the Gamecocks’ 50-7 win against Akron in Week 4 because of an ankle sprain he suffered against LSU.
His best passing game came against Alabama when he completed 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) of his passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
But against Texas A&M, he completed 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) of his passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns to go with 106 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also reached 50+ rushing yards against Old Dominion, LSU and Ole Miss.
He has passed for more than 200 yards three of the past four games, only failing to reach the mark against Oklahoma.
Raheim Sanders, RB
After spending three years as one of the SEC’s best running backs at Arkansas, the 6-0, 230-pound senior transferred to South Carolina, where he has amassed 696 rushing yards on 131 carries with 10 touchdowns to go with 208 receiving yards on 16 catches with one score through the air.
His average of 77.3 rushing yards per game has him fifth in the SEC, while his 10 rushing scores ties him for third in the conference.
After taking one carry for one yard against Akron, Sanders exited the game and did not return, but he has played in all nine games this season.
He returned the following week and took only eight carries for 29 yards, but since then he has had performances of 16-for-78 and one touchdown (vs. Alabama), 15-for-33 and one touchdown (vs. Oklahoma), 20-for-144 and two touchdowns (vs. Texas A&M) and 15-for-126 and two touchdowns (vs. Vanderbilt).
The game against Texas A&M was by far his best this year as he added five catches for 92 yards through the air.
His receiving touchdown came last week when he added two catches for 52 yards against Vanderbilt.
So he has 394 total yards the past two games.
Joshua Simon, Mazeo Bennett Jr., PASS CATCHERS
Simon, a 6-4, 259-pound sixth-year tight end is the Gamecocks’ leading receiver at 39.7 yards per game. He has 27 catches for 357 yards (13.2 per catch) and five touchdowns.
His best performance by far was against Texas A&M when he had four catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Otherwise, he hasn’t reached 50 yards in a game this season.
Bennett, a 5-11, 185-pound freshman receiver has 21 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He averages 13.8 yards per catch and 32.1 yards per game.
His best game was against Akron when he caught five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
He also had a three-catch, 63-yard performance with a touchdown against Kentucky.
The past two weeks, he has caught four total passes for 32 total yards.
DEFENSE
Nick Emmanwori, DB
The 6-3, 227-pound junior defensive back leads the Gamecocks with 60 total tackles to go with four interceptions, two passes batted down and two tackles for loss.
His interception total leads the SEC and he has scored on two of the four.
One of his pick-6s came against Kentucky and the other came against Oklahoma when he had two of his four interceptions.
Demetrius Knight Jr., LB
The sixth-year transfer from Charlotte after starting his career at Georgia Tech, stands 6-2 and 245 pounds.
He is second on the Gamecocks with 54 tackles, while co-leading the team with six tackles for loss for 32 combined yards of loss. He also has two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Bam Martin-Scott, LB
The 6-2, 241-pound, sixth-year linebacker has totaled 49 tackles this season, while co-leading the team with six for loss. He also has 1.5 sacks, two passes batted down, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Kyle Kennard, edge
The 6-5, 254-pound fifth-year edge rusher has tortured offensive linemen and quarterbacks all season, amassing 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss this season. He has eight more quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, two fumbles recoveries and a pass batted down.
Drew Pyne vs. South Carolina pass rush
Brady Cook is likely out again this week, so Drew Pyne will have a chance to follow up his performance against Oklahoma.
With at least a backup center, and possibly a backup left guard, in front of him, South Carolina’s pass rush that has 33 sacks this season is going to be coming after him.
Along with Kennard, Knight and Martin-Scott, South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart has 5.5 sacks, Tonka Hemingway has four, T.J. Sanders has three and Bryan Thomas Jr. has 2.5.
That’s a lot of rushers coming.
Pyne did a great job stepping up in the pocket against Oklahoma and escaping extra pressure, he’ll have to do that again this week.
Missouri’s offense and giving the ball away
Along with that successful pass rush has come a lot of turnovers and extra possessions for the Gamecocks this season. South Carolina has 11 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries this season.
Missouri can’t afford to give the ball away, which it did a good job of handling against Oklahoma, winning the turnover battle 4-1, without Cook.
So making sure Pyne and co. don’t give up more extra possessions will be key.
Missouri’s defensive line vs. SC’s run game
The Gamecocks don’t throw a lot unless they have to. That’s because Sellers and Sanders have been a fantastic rushing combo this season. If the Tigers are able to contain the duo and make the Gamecocks through, that sets Missouri up for a lot of success.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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Copyright 2026 WIS. All rights reserved.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
A bill that could make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion is moving to the full South Carolina Senate with just a few weeks left in the legislative session.
The South Carolina Senate medical affairs committee continued a debate of Senate Bill 1095 on April 21 in Columbia. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, builds on a restrictive abortion bill that failed to progress in the fall.
The committee passed the measure in an 8-4 vote, moving it to the full Senate for consideration. Lawmakers have until May 14, the last day of the 2026 legislative session, to pass the bill for it to become law.
Senate Bill 1095, also called the “Unborn Child Protection Act,” bans performing an abortion or supplying abortion drugs. It makes it illegal for a woman to get an abortion, with the only exception being to save a pregnant woman’s life.
It also makes mifepristone and misoprostol Schedule IV controlled substances. Alprazolam (Xanax) and zolpidem (Ambien) are two other examples of Schedule IV substances.
Pro-Life Greenville, an anti-abortion organization based in Greenville, responded to the bill’s progress with “full endorsement” of the legislation.
“Unborn children, like all human beings, deserve to have their lives protected under law here in the Palmetto State,” Pro-Life Greenville stated. “Today’s vote by the SC Senate Medical Affairs Committee brings that urgent need one step closer to reality.”
Under the bill, a woman who has an abortion could face misdemeanor charges. The maximum sentence would be two years in jail with a $1,000 fine.
Those found guilty of performing an abortion or providing a pregnant woman with abortion-inducing drugs could face felony charges, a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail, and a possible $100,000 fine.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT), a firm opponent of the bill, decried the Senate committee passage. PPSAT Director of Public Affairs Vicki Ringer said in a statement that the bill will cost people their lives, and it will make it more difficult for women to get reproductive and pregnancy healthcare.
“Abortion bans have and will continue to cost people their lives,” Ringer stated. “As this ban inches closer to the governor’s desk, it is becoming increasingly clear just how many of our lives anti-abortion lawmakers are willing to endanger in service to their agenda.”
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
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