Gameday Guide: Gamecocks vs. Missouri

The Mayor’s Cup is on the line as the No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks host the Missouri looking for their fifth straight win and to end a three-game losing streak to the Tigers.

South Carolina (5-2, 2-2 SEC) vs. (Missouri 3-4, 1-3 SEC)

When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 – 4 PM ET

Where: Columbia, S.C. – Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)

Broadcast: SEC Network (Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Alyssa Lang)

Local Radio: Gamecock IMG Sports Network (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Jamar Nesbit)

Satellite Radio: Sirius/XM 138 or 191

Odds: USC -3.5 (O/U 44.5)

Weather: 63°, Cloudy, 4% chance of rain.

South Carolina Injury report: WR Corey Rucker (out), LB Mo Kaba (out for season), EDGE Jordan Strachan (out for season), WR Chad Terrell (out for season).

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

Subscribe until the 2023 season for only $10!

Gameday Timeline

How to watch today’s game

Today’s game is on SEC Network, which is available nationwide from every major cable, satellite, and streaming provider.

Use the SEC Network Channel Finder to find the specific channel for your provider.

The game is available on the ESPN app, but you will need to log in with a username and password from a live TV provider and subscription package that has SEC Network.

The ESPN App is available on Android, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Android TV, PS4, XBox and Oculus.

Coverage from South Carolina vs Missouri Week

• Opponent preview: South Carolina set for hungry Mizzou defense
• Carolina Confidential – Final thoughts on Gamecocks vs. Missouri
• Staff picks: South Carolina-Missouri, other Week 9 picks
• Video: What SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang is looking for from South Carolina against Missouri
• South Carolina takes red-hot pass rush into tough Missouri test
• Breaking down the keys: South Carolina vs. Missouri
• GC LIVE: South Carolina vs. Missouri Preview
• Five South Carolina football predictions for the Missouri game
• Projecting statistical leaders for South Carolina men’s hoops
• LIVE NOW: Gamecock Central Takeover Hour on 107.5 The Game with Chris Clark and Wes Mitchell
• The Verdict: This isn’t a video game
• Expected visitors list: South Carolina vs. Missouri
• Final injury report before Missouri game
• Brian Edwards’ South Carolina wager, college football selections
• Improved perimeter run blocking helping South Carolina run game
• Marcus Lattimore details decade-long emotional journey to overcome career-ending injury
• Quick Slants with Uva: Being ranked means nothing this week
• The Insider Report – pre-Missouri thoughts
• WATCH: How South Carolina is handling its success
• Three Takeaways: Missouri’s attacking front, Gamecocks’ sacks, the Xavier Legette decision

GC LIVE: Gamecocks vs. Missouri Preview

Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Megaphone | TuneIn Radio | PlayerFM | Stitcher | RSS feed

Quick notes from South Carolina Athletics  

Missouri has won the last three meetings to take a slim 7-5 advantage in the all-time series with South Carolina. The home team has been victorious in three of the five games played in its stadium, while Mizzou owns a pair of neutral site bowl game wins (the 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl and the 2005 Independence Bowl) versus Carolina.

IT JUST MEANS MORE: Since Mizzou joined the SEC, the series is deadlocked at five wins apiece. South Carolina won the first two SEC Eastern Division battles between the two schools, posting a 31-10 win in the Palmetto State in 2012, then pulling out an improbable 27-24 double-overtime victory in Missouri in 2013. In 2014, the Tigers overcame a 13-point deficit in the final seven minutes to squeeze out a 21-20 victory at Williams-Brice Stadium, then won by a 24-10 count at Memorial Stadium in 2015. The Gamecocks then won three-straight games from 2016-18 by scores of 31-21, 31-13 and 37-35, respectively. The Tigers have rebounded with three-straight wins of their own by scores of 34-14, 17-10 and 31-28.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Tyler Badie rushed 34 times for 209 yards and a touchdown and Missouri held off South Carolina’s fourth quarter charge to post a 31-28 win in CoMo on Nov. 13, 2021. Mizzou outgained the Gamecocks by a 438-250 margin. Jason Brown made his second start for Carolina and went 16-for-30 for 193 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and also fumbled in the endzone, resulting in a Tiger TD.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET IN COLUMBIA: After a tumultuous week for South Carolina Football which saw them lose their head coach and four defensive players opt out, the Gamecocks dropped a hard-fought 17-10 decision to the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 21, 2020. Mizzou opened up a 17-0 halftime lead, but the Gamecocks rallied back under interim head coach Mike Bobo to make it a one score game and had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minutes, before a late interception ended the comeback attempt. Quarterback Luke Doty came off the bench and gave the Carolina offense a spark. He completed 14-of-23 passes for 130 yards and also rushed 11 times for 59 yards.

THE LAST CAROLINA WIN: In what has become known in South Carolina as the “Michael Scarnecchia Game,” the Gamecocks’ backup quarterback threw for three touchdowns in his only collegiate start and Parker White hit the game-winning 33-yard field goal with two seconds left to lift Carolina to a 37-35 victory over Missouri on Oct. 6, 2018 in Columbia, S.C. The Tigers had gone ahead 35-34 on Tucker McCann’s career-long 57-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining, but Scarnecchia and the Gamecocks drove to the Missouri 16 where White nailed his third field goal of the game. The Gamecocks rallied from 23-14 at halftime in a game that lasted more than five hours due to rain and lightning delays. Scarnecchia completed 20-of-35 passes for 249 yards. Missouri’s Drew Lock, the SEC’s passing leader, was held to 204 yards.

BLACKJACK FOR THE WIN: The Gamecocks are 5-2 against the Tigers when scoring 21 or more points. They are winless in five games when scoring 20 or fewer, including two of the last three contests.

IN THE POLLS: Coming off back-to-back SEC wins at No. 13 Kentucky and against preseason No. 6 Texas A&M, South Carolina (5-2) has moved into the Top-25 in both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls this week, coming in at No. 25 in both rankings. South Carolina is ranked in the A.P. poll for the first time since Sept. 4, 2018, when they checked in at No. 24 after a season-opening win over Coastal Carolina. They dropped out the following week after a loss to Georgia. Other than that one week in 2018, the Gamecocks have not been ranked in the Top-25 in the A.P. since the 2014 season when they were ranked in five-consecutive polls to open the season.

THE LAST TIME OUT: South Carolina extended its winning streak to four and captured the Bonham Trophy for the first time in nine tries with a 30-24 win over Texas A&M at a sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium on Oct. 22. The Gamecocks exploded for 17 points in the first 5:09 of the game, using a Xavier Legette kickoff return for a touchdown and cashing in on turnovers on each of the Aggies’ first two possessions to build an unsurmountable cushion. A&M cut the lead to 24-21 heading into the final period, but the Gamecocks put together an eight-play, 80-yard drive, using 5:13 of the clock to seal the win. Darius Rush logged a game-high eight tackles, returned an interception 59 yards setting up a score and forced a fumble, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

THEY CALL IT A STREAK: The win over Texas A&M marked the Gamecocks’ fourth-straight win. It’s their longest winning streak since capping the 2013 season with six-consecutive victories (which started with a double-overtime win at Missouri) en route to an 11-2 record and a final ranking of No. 4 in the Associated Press poll.

THAT WAS FAST: The Gamecocks have needed just seconds to get on the board in each of their last two games. At Kentucky, David Spaulding forced a fumble that Tonka Hemingway recovered on the first play from scrimmage and MarShawn Lloyd plunged in from two-yards out on its first offensive snap, as Carolina scored just 13 seconds into the contest. Versus Texas A&M, Xavier Legette returned the opening kick 100 yards, putting Carolina on the board just 14 seconds into the game.

FAST AND FURIOUS: After scoring just 21 first-quarter points combined through the first six contests, the Gamecocks needed just 5:09 to put 17 points on the board against Texas A&M. Carolina had scored just 17 points combined against the Aggies in its two previous meetings.

THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE: Carolina tallied 30 points in the win over Texas A&M after scoring just 23 points in their three most recent games combined against the Aggies, all losses. In fact, the 30 points were the most points the Gamecocks have ever scored in nine tries against Texas A&M. Carolina held A&M to 24 points, matching their lowest point total surrendered against the Aggies.

LEGETTE LEGS IT OUT: Xavier Legette was recognized as the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week after returning the opening kick 100 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M. It was the first kick return for a touchdown by a Gamecock since Deebo Samuel went 90 yards to open the game at Ole Miss in 2018. It tied for the second-longest kick return in school history behind only Sterling Sharpe’s 104-yarder against Duke in 1985. Boo Williams (Vanderbilt in 1997) and Deebo Samuel (Western Carolina in 2016) also have recorded 100-yard kick returns for the Gamecocks.

THAT MAKES 11: MarShawn Lloyd scored twice against Texas A&M on 18- and 4-yard runs. Lloyd now has 11 touchdowns on the season, third in the SEC and tied for eighth in the country. His nine rushing touchdowns is tied for second in the SEC and tied for 14th in the country.

Other resources from Gamecock Central: News | Schedule | Future Opponents | Scholarship Breakdown | Roster | Printable Roster | Depth Chart Plus | NFL Gamecocks

Discuss Gamecocks vs. Missouri on The Insiders Forum!