Missouri Tigers’ defense, strong play from Cook help Mizzou beat South Carolina on road
.JPG "Missouri quarterback Brady Cook is surrounded by happy teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Gamecocks on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. (AP photo)")
South Carolina entered the AP Top 25 football poll this week for the first time in four seasons.
If the Gamecocks exit the poll just as quickly, it will be because Missouri kicked them out.
The Tigers took command of the game earlier and rolled past South Carolina 23-10 on Saturday in Columbia, S.C. Missouri hit on all phases, getting another stellar performance from its rugged defense and one of the best games yet from quarterback Brady Cook, who led an offense that did not commit a turnover.
He finished 17 of 26 for 224 yards.
“He’s taken a lot of crap and criticism and (he) showed up and beat a Top 25 team on the road,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said after the game on the SEC Network postgame interview. “He deserves a lot of credit.”
Mizzou has won consecutive SEC games and improved to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference. It’s the Tigers’ first road victory this season.
South Carolina’s four-game winning streak came to an end, and the Gamecocks dropped their fourth straight in the series to Missouri.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Ride Schrader to the end
Missouri got the ball with 10:23 remaining with a 13-point lead. The objective was to burn clock, and the Tigers had the right person to do that in running back Cody Schrader.
This past week, Drinkwitz said Schrader would get the bulk of the attempts while Nathaniel Peat sat, paying the price for his fumbles. In clock-killing mode, Schrader got the ball on 10 straight snaps. He picked up 43 yards and three first downs.
Mizzou had the ball for six minutes, and the Gamecocks never a chance to make it a one-score game. Schrader finished with 81 yards on 22 attempts and a touchdown.
The defense continues to excel
Don’t bring an average offense to this Missouri defense.
The Tigers’ defenders roared again, no one more so than defensive Isaiah McGuire. Mizzou pressured South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler all afternoon, and not always with blitzes. McGuire sacked Rattler twice, once on a nifty inside move. He finished with three tackles for loss in one of his best games this season.
What a drive
Missouri’s best drive of the season was a credit to play-calling.
The Tigers went 96 yards in 15 plays in 6:58. Plays swung to both sides. Cook passes originated from a rolling pocket. Luther Burden was used as a running back.
And finally, Cook fooled the South Carolina defense on an option keeper for the touchdown. Terrific stuff by the Tigers for the game’s first score.
Loving what Lovett did
Dominic Lovett had a career best receiving total against an FBS opponent — by halftime.
Lovett had seven receptions for 109 yards in the first half, including a 57-yarder to set up the Tigers’ second touchdown. Before Saturday, his best game against a major opponent had come earlier this season at Auburn, when he had 102 yards in the Tiges’ overtime loss.
Lovett added a big play in the second half on a 34-yard reception and finished with 10 receptions for 148 yards.
South Carolina formula fails
South Carolina’s four-game winning streak was built on a mix of forcing turnovers, winning the special teams battle and riding the legs of running back Marshawn Lloyd.
None of that came into play against Missouri. The Tigers didn’t have a turnover. The Gamecocks did not have a big return on a punt or kickoff. Lloyd, after picking up 30 first-half rushing yards, appeared to be injured and hardly played in the second half.