Everything you need to know before South Carolina faces Missouri on the road

Things are tough right now for South Carolina, who’s in the midst of a two-game losing skid. But there’s still time to turn it around with a matchup versus No. 20 Missouri Saturday afternoon.

The Gamecocks (2-4, 1-3 SEC) suffered a 41-39 loss to Florida last Saturday at home. They most notably had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of that game but couldn’t hang on.

Before kickoff, (3:30 p.m., SECN), here’s what you need to know about Missouri.

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How they got here

What a year it’s been for Eliah Drinkwitz’s squad. The Tigers (6-1, 2-1 SEC) started out the year with wins over South Dakota and Middle Tennessee before beating then-No. 15 Kansas State on a walk-off field goal.

The good times just kept rolling from there. Missouri stayed undefeated with wins over Memphis and Vanderbilt to move to 5-0. However, a 10-point loss at home to LSU snapped the winning streak.

Last week, the Tigers went on the road to then-No. 24 Kentucky and came from behind to beat the Wildcats, 38-21.

Every year, it seems like fans and media count Missouri out. But this year has been different. This team is for real and out for blood.

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Where they sit in the rankings

After the win over Kentucky, the Tigers moved to No. 20 in this week’s AP Poll. They’re ranked in the same spot in the USA Today coaches poll.

In the College Football Power Index (FPI), Missouri is ranked 27th with an 8.9 FPI. At best, it’s projected to win somewhere between 8-9 games. But that obviously could be higher. It has a 4.2 percent chance to win the SEC East with a matchup against Georgia still to come.

In the SP+ rankings, the Tigers rank at No. 26.

Missouri check in at No. 23 in the Massey ratings. It ranks 32nd in offense and 47th in defense. It has the 45th-best strength of schedule.

The FPI gives South Carolina a 35.3 percent chance to beat Missouri, while Massey projects a 43 percent chance.

Players to know

Missouri is loaded with talent, making it a challenge for South Carolina to scheme and prepare a good plan to win. But one name that’s been talked about all week is Luther Burden III.

The sophomore receiver has been insane this year. He’s caught 56 passes for 808 yards and five touchdowns. He had five straight games with over 100 receiving yards at one point.

But Burden is not just a threat in the pass game, he’s also Missouri’s main returner on special teams. Shane Beamer and Pete Lembo have spoken about their worries with him as a major threat in this aspect. He’s clearly a top priority for the Gamecocks.

Throwing the passes to Burden is his quarterback, Brady Cook. He’s been a strength for this Missouri offense as he’s thrown for 2,054 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Through five games, Cook didn’t throw a pick, but he’s been a little more suspect to the turnovers lately. He has three interceptions in his last two games.

Teams with a good quarterback and talented receivers have been an issue for the Gamecock defense to stop. And when Theo Wease Jr. is factored into the equation, it becomes that much harder to stop the Tigers.

Defensively, Ty’Ron Hopper will be the main man to keep an eye on. The senior linebacker has recorded a team-leading 39 tackles with a sack and three pass deflections.

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Path to victory

Where to even begin. South Carolina looked destined to win versus Florida last week. It had the game on ice but couldn’t put the nail in the coffin. And now it will pay the price with what will be a pretty difficult two-game road trip.

But when the Gamecocks lost 38-6 to Florida last year, they went on to upset top 10 teams in back-to-back weeks. Can they do it again? Maybe, maybe not. The main point is don’t count South Carolina out just yet.

There is a way to win this game. And it starts with the defense. This unit has to play better or else it could be a very long afternoon.

It would be easy to say take away Missouri’s passing attack and make it one dimensional, but Cody Schrader is a really good running back.

The real difference maker will be how this group plays on those third and fourth downs. While Florida went 4-for-15 on third downs, it went 3-for-4 on fourth downs. Most of those downs came in the final minutes that led to its win.

If Missouri is able to hit on those conversions, it will be a losing night. This offense will drive up and down the field. It’s on the defense to stop that from happening.

On the flip side, the offense needs to keep doing what it’s doing. 39 points should’ve won the game last week. But it didn’t because the defense wasn’t nearly as strong and there were some offensive miscues down the stretch. It’s a combined effort.

Limit the mistakes like penalties and missed opportunities and good things will happen. Spencer Rattler is playing solid this year. Mario Anderson is heating up. And imagine if Xavier Legette and a guy like Nyck Harbor are both threats on the outside.

It’s clear the offense isn’t the problem. It can definitely compete with the best of the best. But Missouri will be a tough environment. It has to come ready to play from the first drive of the game.

Then there’s also the special teams aspect of the game. Special teams had been a strength for the Gamecocks. There really needs to be some action in this area of the game. Whether it’s an onside kick or a long field goal, those plays make a difference.

There’s still time for Kai Kroeger to flip the switch and return to form when he was bombing nearly every kick last season. Field position will be a big part of this game, especially with Burden returning kicks. He cannot be having big returns.

It can definitely be tough to find positives during a losing streak. But this season is far from over.

South Carolina spoke so much about being one play, one drive away from winning some of the games it has lost. Let’s see if the Gamecocks can play a complete game and good things might happen.

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