Three-minute preview: Missouri football at South Carolina

When/where: 3 p.m. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

TV/radio: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)

The series: Missouri leads 4-2

The line: South Carolina by 7

What’s at stake

Technically, bowl eligibility (and the Columbia Cup). Missouri, which is 2-6 overall and 0-4 in the SEC, can’t afford another loss and continuing dreaming of the postseason. Realistically, a bowl game seems like a pipe dream and pride is on the line as the Tigers aim to snap a four-game losing streak, a seven-game road skid and a 10-game conference slide.

Cheers if ...

Missouri’s defense keeps South Carolina under 400 yards. The Gamecocks’ season-high for total offense is 395 yards against Massachusetts. Meanwhile, the Tigers have allowed 500-plus yards in four straight games for the first time in the program’s 126-year history and every FBS opponent has topped 400 yards against Mizzou this season.

Jeers if ...

Missouri gets off to another slow start on offense. Josh Heupel’s attack has been outscored 96-30 during the first half — 31-10 in the first quarter and 65-20 in the second quarter — in five games against Power Five competition this season. Spotting teams a two-touchdown lead isn’t usually a winning strategy.

Tod Palmer’s pick: South Carolina 27-24

This might be optimistic considering South Carolina’s 24-21 upset last week against then-No. 18 Tennessee. Mizzou trailed Kentucky 35-7 in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks only lost 17-10 on the road versus those same Wildcats, so the Tigers could be in for another disappointing Saturday.

Three things about South Carolina

1 Two true freshmen have started at quarterback for the Gamecocks this season. Sandwiched within a trio of starts by senior quarterback Perry Orth, Brandon McIlwain went 1-2 against East Carolina, Kentucky and Texas A&M. Jake Bentley then took the reins for the last two games, wins against Massachusetts and Tennessee.

2 Bentley, whose father is Gamecocks running backs coach Bobby Bentley, is 32 of 46 for 368 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His 165.5 efficiency rating would lead the SEC if he’d played enough to be eligible, but he’ll face the season’s toughest test against a Missouri squad that leads the SEC with 11 interceptions (13th nationally) and 53 passes defended (third nationally).

3 Senior defensive end Darius English ranks fourth in the SEC with 6 1/2 sacks. He only trails Tennessee’s Derek Barnett, LSU’s Arden Key and Auburn’s Carl Lawson and is tied with Alabama’s Tim Williams.

Key matchup

Missouri’s run defense vs. South Carolina’s run offense: The Tigers allow an SEC-worst 240 rushing yards per game. The Gamecocks rush for an SEC-worst 113.3 yards per game. Something’s got to give. Freshman running back Rico Dowdle, who sat out the first four games with a sports hernia, has averaged 72.8 yards in the last four games, including 127 with a touchdown against Tennessee.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Missouri football at South Carolina."