Mizzou football at South Carolina: Five things to know before Tigers’ next game
A chaotic fourth quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners turned in No. 24 Mizzou’s favor last week, as the Tigers earned a 30-23 win on Zion Young’s scoop-and-score.
The Tigers now go from one Columbia to another with a trip to South Carolina this week against the No. 23 Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3 SEC). Riding a three-game win streak, South Carolina is coming off a 28-7 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville.
“Got a really tough opponent this week, a ranked South Carolina team,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Coach (Shane) Beamer has done an absolutely fabulous job this year. They’re playing their best football right now. They’re peaking at the right time.”
Here’s what you need to know ahead of Saturday’s kickoff...
Mizzou football at South Carolina game details
Kickoff: 3:15 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, S.C.)
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Tiger Radio Network
Betting line: South Carolina is a 13.5-point favorite (via FanDuel)
Over/under: 43.5
Five Things to Know
1. The Gamecocks have won their last three games by an average of 23.6 points. Drinkwitz wasn’t wrong when he said South Carolina has been playing its best football right now, winning by three scores against Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
2. The Tigers have a five-game win streak over the Gamecocks. That includes wins in their last two visits to Williams-Brice Stadium. In short, Drinkwitz has never lost to South Carolina.
3. South Carolina is one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers. The Gamecocks have forced 19 turnovers this season, good for third in the SEC and 11th in the country. That was highlighted by a performance against Oklahoma in which they forced six fumbles; they’ve forced 17 fumbles on the season, recovering eight.
4. Freshman QB LaNorris Sellers has only gotten better. With four passing touchdowns and four interceptions in his first five starts for the Gamecocks, it was a rocky start for Sellers. But during the current three-game win streak, the freshman has been solid through the air with 657 yards on 43-of-71 passing with five touchdowns.
5. South Carolina’s special teams continue to impress. The Gamecocks’ special teams were heralded under former special teams coordinator Pete Lembo, who the Tigers faced earlier this season as the head coach at Buffalo. With Joe DeCamillis taking over special teams this season, South Carolina leads the SEC with two blocked kicks while kicker Alex Herrera has been successful on five of his last six field goals. Punter Kai Kroeger is also second in the program’s history in career yards per punt (44.5).
