South Carolina football superfan Chris Paschal writes a weekly column during the season for GamecockCentral called “The Verdict.” Chris is a lawyer at Goings Law Firm in Columbia.

In 2022, we thought we had turned the corner.

After some early season conference losses, the Gamecocks rolled into a visiting SEC stadium (Kentucky) in October and killed their opponent. A few weeks later, South Carolina whipped Texas A&M in front of a raucous, sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium. After being doubted for most of the season, the 2022 Gamecocks were finally ranked in the AP Top 25 and were hosting an underdog Missouri team. 

Sound familiar? 

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Just like in 2022, these 2024 Gamecocks host Missouri coming off a massive SEC road win over Oklahoma followed by a whipping of the Aggies. And just like in 2022, we have finally been told we are nice and pretty and accomplished and that we should beat the Missouri Tigers for a late-season conference victory.

In 2022, Missouri dismantled the Gamecocks in front of their home fans. They had the edge, the gameplan, and the physicality needed to win a Southeastern Conference football game. We did not. 

It is almost inherent for a South Carolinian to be the underdog. Our state is smaller than our neighbors. Our state is not as wealthy as other states. We are a little grittier. We are a little tougher. We are underestimated at times.

I felt it all the time in mock trial competitions while a student at the South Carolina law school. We competed against North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia, NYU, University of Denver, William & Mary, Washington & Lee, and on and on. Many of them thought they were better than us simply because they went to some school not named South Carolina. And many of them left the weekend wiser and sadder following a resounding Gamecock victory. (My team never lost to a team from a North Carolina law school.) 

Our football team under head coach Shane Beamer has taken on that same mindset. If you doubt us, if you think we are the underdog, if you think we can’t beat No. 5 Tennessee or No. 8 Clemson or No. 10 Texas A&M, then you better think again. Some people take offense to Beamer’s postgame rants where he can sometimes come across as defensive (or vindictive), but to me, that just shows how much he truly cares about this program and how in many ways he is just like the people that fill Williams-Brice Stadium every Saturday.

If he feels as if someone is disrespecting the Gamecocks, then I hope he always possesses that hellfire to prove them wrong. We have wanted that in our football coach for years. We have wanted a coach that believes in Carolina, fights for Carolina, and wins for Carolina. 

But what about when Carolina is finally deemed the favorite? I’m not talking about being the favorite in a few one-off games against Vanderbilt or Mississippi State or fill-in-the-blank bottom dweller. I’m talking about being tabbed a double-digit favorite over a team that has won 18 of their last 22 games. 

This team has been fueled by being doubted. And certainly, there are still plenty of doubters. But can there be something else from within this program that fuels their fire other than being the underdog? I don’t worry about the Gamecocks being outmanned by Missouri, because I think we have the better team. What I am worried about is that the moment is just too big for us. For Carolina to win this weekend, they must go out and prove that the past few weeks were not just nice wins but the status quo. A win this Saturday proves that these Gamecocks win not in spite of being Gamecocks, but because they are Gamecocks. 

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Missouri football game]

For years, heck for decades, when South Carolina wins it’s because they did something outside their character. When Carolina wins, it’s because they didn’t play like Carolina and instead played like winners. That’s what the national media and rival fanbases think when we win. 

In years past, if Carolina won, it was because Carolina decided that weekend to buck the usual trend. That is what they all thought. And (withstanding the 2011-2013 seasons) the second the narrative outside Columbia was anything remotely close to “we think these Gamecocks are actually pretty good,” the very next second was when they all pointed and laughed as we failed to live up to the moment. 

The national media, the playoff committee, the rival fan bases, they all think deep down inside that a massive letup is right around the corner. Sure, they may pick us to win this game, but they all know a choke job is a matter of when not if. 

Almost everything positive being said about this team is still somewhat backhanded. This Carolina team is ranked? This defense has elite players? This quarterback – the quarterback some preseason prognosticators picked last in the conference – is playing good football? Wow, good for them! Many pundits and fans didn’t have much hope for this team in August and September and October. And those same pundits and those same fans are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

A win this weekend is not only a win over Missouri and their smug head coach, but it’s also a win for living up to expectations. It’s a win for proving you do belong. It’s a win that allows you to still sit at the table, even if the rest of the college football community doesn’t want you there. A win this weekend tells the wolves dressed in sheeps’ clothing that they’ll have to wait a little longer than expected before they can turn their back on this team. 

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.

LSU might’ve beaten South Carolina on the field earlier this season — albeit with some officiating controversy — but come College Football Playoff rankings time, the Gamecocks had leapfrogged the Tigers.

That was, in the explanation of selection committee chair Warde Manuel, due to the whole body of work trumping the head-to-head comparison for both teams. The fact LSU had won factored in, but both teams recent track records mattered more.

“Yeah, it really came down to the committee felt that since that game, South Carolina and LSU have gone in different directions,” Manuel said. “South Carolina has had some wins in that time frame, and LSU has had two consecutive losses. So the feeling was we do look at head-to-head. We obviously consider that closely. We look at that in our evaluation and determine when a team — we take a good hard look when teams play head-to-head and the outcome of the game.”

Since losing to LSU in mid-September, the Gamecocks have only lost two other times, both to current Top 10 teams and have since won three in a row. That included a 44-20 thrashing of ranked Texas A&M.

LSU, meanwhile, looked strong for much of the first half of the season after losing the opener to USC — a loss that’s grown increasingly ugly as the Trojans falter — but has now dropped a pair of SEC games in recent weeks and got outclassed entirely on Saturday.

So while the Tigers might’ve bested the Gamecocks on Sept. 14, both teams have played themselves into different spots with weeks left in the season, and the committee ranked them as such, even at the expense of seemingly ignoring a head-to-head result.

“But in this particular case, we also looked at the body of work and where those teams are, and so the discussion amongst the committee really came down to factoring in everything, in particular, where those teams were since that game was played, and obviously LSU struggled the last two weeks, and South Carolina has really performed admirably since that loss to LSU,” Manuel said.