How Mizzou football’s defense made good on a promise and shut down South Carolina
All Missouri Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz could do was apologize to David Gibbs, who was calling the shots for Mizzou’s defense.
It was late in Saturday’s game with the result still very much in doubt. Mizzou had possession after South Carolina scored a touchdown, and if the Tigers could just milk the clock, they would walk away with a win.
But Mizzou’s offense continued to sputter. It was its fifth possession of the second half — all five ended in punts. When Grant McKinniss kicked the latest failed drive into the air, it meant the Gamecocks would have one last chance to nab a game-tying drive.
Gibbs wasn’t worried, though, telling Drinkwitz over the headset to relax, they’ll finish the game off with a turnover.
That’s exactly how the Tigers (3-3) won in a 17-10 triumph over the Gamecocks (2-6) on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. Linebacker Devin Nicholson intercepted a wayward pass, earning himself a deserved fashion show with the “turnover robe,” wearing it all the way to Mizzou’s locker room.
“It gives you a lot of confidence, knowing that they can put things away,” Drinkwitz said of the defense. “I tried to end the game on that little wheel route. I had that confidence that if we didn’t get it, we were going to be able to punt them deep and the defense was going to be able to hold them.”
Mizzou’s defense shut down South Carolina, making it uncomfortable all night to move the ball. The Tigers played their punishing ways despite missing defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who was in quarantine because of contact tracing. It’s why Gibbs, the secondary coach, was calling plays in Walters’ absence.
It wasn’t just their coach missing, too. The Tigers were without key starters and depth pieces, forced to dig deeper on the roster that featured just 52 players Saturday, one lower than the SEC’s roster threshold.
The defensive line was decimated, with Trajan Jeffcoat, Kobie Whiteside and Markell Utsey unavailable because of injuries or COVID-19. MU started two true freshmen at cornerback in Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and JC Carlies; Adam Sparks and Ish Burdine were both out.
The Tigers still dominated the first half despite that, keeping the Gamecocks off the scoreboard, including forcing a turnover on downs. South Carolina strung together three straight three-and-outs as quarterback Collin Hill failed to produce.
In came reserve quarterback Luke Doty, who brought a different element with his ability to run. That caused some issues with the Tigers as Doty could scramble if his options weren’t open, linebacker Nick Bolton said. While the Tigers didn’t deviate off-script much, they allowed the Gamecocks back within one possession.
“(Doty) was able to escape the pocket if his first or second read was there, unlike (Hill),” Bolton said. “That’s the type of nuances they have. Other than that, their scheme was pretty much the same. We kind of got them out of their run early, forcing them to pass the ball in the second half.”
While Bolton shined as expected with 14 tackles, two for loss, key contributors elsewhere aided to stuff the Gamecocks.
Safety Martez Manuel picked up his first career sack while getting into the backfield. While Rakestraw picked up some pass interference penalties, he quickly recovered by making plays, including a sack of his own. Akial Byers was part of a mob of Tigers as they finished with nine tackles for loss, living in the opposing backfield.
It was arguably the defense’s best performance of the season despite being undermanned, matching its point total against Kentucky, a 20-10 MU victory.
“Overall, we feel like we played very good football,” Bolton said. “We had a couple plays I wish we could have back. But other than that, I’m proud of our performance.”
Historic performance
When running back Larry Rountree III scampered for 11 yards in the second quarter, he made it right to 19 yards in the game.
That’s exactly what he needed to pass Zack Abron for second place on the Mizzou career rushing list. Rountree finished with 58 yards Saturday, putting him at a career total of 3,238 yards. Quarterback Brad Smith leads all Tigers with 4,298 career rushing yards.
“I still don’t believe it,” Rountree said. “It’s just weird. I would say, though, I wouldn’t have got any of those yards without even the past O-linemen that left here. … All of them guys since freshman year helped me. You’re nothing without your O-line.”
Offense disappoints
The Tigers appeared ready to exploit a South Carolina defense. The first half was a cause of optimism as Mizzou cruised to a 17-0 halftime lead.
Then the second half featured punt after punt after punt. After a solid 212 total yards in the first half, the Tigers picked up just 89 in the final two quarters. MU quarterback Connor Bazelak said that wouldn’t cut it, reflecting on his miscues, which included a first-half interception on the edge of the red zone.
Drinkwitz said a bulk of the struggles came because Mizzou couldn’t consistently run the ball. While Rountree made history, he finished with 21 rushes for 58 yards, coming out to an inefficient 2.8 yards per carry average.
That comes from issues among the offensive line, which has heavy juggling because of injuries. Drinkwitz said the unit isn’t where it needs to be now as the Tigers look to get their starters back within the next few weeks.
“You would’ve thought the halves would’ve been flipped the way we played in the second half,” Bazelak said. “We just gotta play all four quarters. I thought we played well in the first half. Obviously, the interception can’t happen. But we just gotta play all four quarters and play better in the second half.”