Mizzou football vs. South Carolina: Five things to know about MU’s SEC opener
It’s time for the Mayor’s Cup matchup.
Mizzou, newly ranked at No. 23 and fresh off a scorching 52-10 win over Louisiana, starts its conference schedule this week against South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC).
South Carolina is coming off its first loss of the season, 31-7 at the hands of Vanderbilt, but the Gamecocks also dealt with what could be an even bigger loss: an injury to their quarterback.
“South Carolina is a very good football team. They have a lot of momentum in their program, from last year to now with the way they ended last season,” Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday.
Here’s what you need to know before Saturday’s kickoff...
Mizzou vs. South Carolina: Game details
Kickoff: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia
TV: ESPN
Radio: KMBZ (980) in Kansas City, KCMQ (96.7 or 103.1) in Columbia
Betting line: Mizzou is an 11.5-point favorite (via FanDuel).
Over/under: 47.5
Five things to know before kickoff
1. The biggest question remains: Will LaNorris Sellers play? Drinkwitz’s squad will prepare for both scenarios, but there’s no doubt the absence of one of the top quarterbacks in college football would swing the odds Mizzou’s way. Sellers exited the field after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit against Vanderbilt last Saturday. Coach Shane Beamer initially indicated optimism Sellers would play against Mizzou, but he didn’t have an injury update at Tuesday’s news conference.
Drinkwitz said he expects to face Sellers, but if not, the Tigers will face Luke Doty, who is fittingly listed on South Carolina’s roster as simply: “athlete.” He’s seen action at wide receiver, on special teams and, more recently, at quarterback for the Gamecocks.
“Really good player, but I don’t think their scheme is going to change any,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s not LaNorris, but he’s a very good, capable player. There’s not two stylistic differences in the way the quarterback position will be played, so for us, we’re going to anticipate that LaNorris will play, and we’ll adjust if he does not.”
2. The Gamecocks’ defense has struggled to contain the passing game. South Carolina opened the season against Virginia Tech and SC State. The Gamecocks started the year allowing 221 passing yards to the Hokies, and then surrendered 208 passing yards total against two FCS quarterbacks. Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia threw for 177 yards and two scores in the 31-7 win last week. This could be a good matchup for Mizzou’s Beau Pribula.
3. Can South Carolina break through the Mizzou run defense? The Tigers, on paper, have been excellent in limiting opponents to an average of 200.7 yards per game. That ranks second in the SEC. However, their 100.7 rushing yards allowed per game is more middle of the pack, and we’ve seen in past weeks that the run defense has some leaks in it, such as last week’s 84-yard touchdown run from Louisiana’s Zylan Perry. South Carolina has struggled to run it, so this could be a prime opportunity for Mizzou to dominate that end.
4. South Carolina gets a break with a key defensive piece fully available. Edge rusher Dylan Stewart was ejected against Vanderbilt for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He was originally expected to miss the first half against Mizzou, but the SEC informed Beamer that Stewart can play the whole game. The sophomore leads the Gamecocks with two sacks so far this year.
5. Will the Mayor’s Cup come back to Missouri? The Tigers held a five-game win streak over the Gamecocks entering last year, but last-second heroics from Sellers put an end to that. The Tigers currently hold a 9-6 record in the all-time series.
