Just how bad has the South Carolina losing streak to Missouri been?
This weekend, South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer will lead his team against the Missouri Tigers. The Gamecocks are 12.5-point favorites in the Mayor’s Cup contest, but USC hasn’t won the game since 2018.
The five-year losing streak has been pretty ugly for South Carolina. If you’re squeamish, now is the time to look away. Let’s take a brief look at the past five contests.
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2019
After winning three in a row in the series from 2016-2018, the Gamecocks dropped the 2019 meeting.
Missouri whipped Carolina in the “other Columbia” 34-14. Barry Odom’s team outgained Will Muschamp’s group 421-271 and forced three Gamecock turnovers.
The game also had the infamous Ryan Hilinski play. After getting his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, the Gamecock freshman caught his own pass and then threw it backward where the Tigers recovered it for a touchdown.
2020
In the Covid-affected 2020 season, Eli Drinkwitz led his first Mizzou squad into Williams-Brice Stadium and won an ugly contest. Missouri got out to a 17-0 halftime lead, but a Gamecock comeback attempt fell short.
Missouri outgained South Carolina 301-283 and forced a turnover en route to a 17-10 win.
The Gamecocks benched starting quarterback Collin Hill in favor of freshman Luke Doty. Doty came in after halftime and led a small comeback effort.
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2021
In Shane Beamer’s first year leading the South Carolina football program, the Gamecocks got down early and nearly came back late before losing a third in a row in the series.
Mizzou outgained USC 438-250 and forced three turnovers. After getting behind 31-14, the Gamecocks scored two 4th quarter touchdowns but couldn’t stop the Tigers from running out the clock late. The 31-28 loss was the closest during the losing streak.
Zyquandre White had a nice day (over 100 yards on just 13 touches), but the rest of the South Carolina offense was stifled.
2022
The most disappointing game of the Gamecocks’ losing streak to Missouri came in 2022. The 25th-ranked Carolina squad laid an egg during a sleepy afternoon game in Williams-Brice Stadium.
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Missouri put up 367 yards compared to just 203 for the Gamecocks. Carolina averaged 1.4 yards per carry and committed two turnovers. It never felt like USC was in the game as they got down 17-0 and fell 23-10.
After the game, Missouri’s players told the media that they had the Gamecocks’ entire gameplan figured out and knew what plays offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield was going to call before he called them.
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2023
One of the worst games of the 2023 campaign came against Missouri. South Carolina lost to No. 20 and couldn’t stop the Tiger offense.
For the game, Missouri outgained the Gamecocks 418-286 and forced a turnover. South Carolina lost 34-12 in a game that didn’t even feel that close.
Eli Drinkwitz’s team took their collective foot off of the gas after halftime, but it didn’t matter.
The Verdict
On average, South Carolina has lost the last five games of the Mayor’s Cup series by about two touchdowns each. Mizzou has outgained USC in each contest and averaged 389 yards per game. The Gamecock offense has been pretty bad in most of the games, averaging just 259 yards per game.
If South Carolina can reverse the trend this year, they will move to 7-3 on the season and keep slim hope alive for the College Football Playoff.
