South Carolina unable to keep up with Missouri, drops third straight

The tough times just keep on rolling for South Carolina football.

After losing a heartbreaker last week, the Gamecocks followed it up with another loss to No. 20 Missouri. The Tigers scored early and often to pull off a 34-12 win.

Saturday’s loss makes it three in a row for South Carolina (2-5, 1-4 SEC).

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In the early going, it looked like it was going to be a close game. Missouri went three-and-out on its first drive, and the Gamecocks were in a position to get some points.

However, with the ball at the 20-yard line, Spencer Rattler was sacked for a 13-yard loss. With a chance to at least get a field goal, Mitch Jeter missed wide right from 51 yards out.

Four plays later, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook launched a 42-yard bomb to Luther Burden III, who made the grab in double coverage. Just like that, the Tigers were on the board.

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And it only got worse from there.

After a 29-yard pass to Theo Wease Jr., Cody Schrader ran up the gut for a 10-yard touchdown. On the next drive, Cook scored on a 17-yard touchdown run to cap off a 10-play, 87-yard drive.

Missouri added a 21-yard field goal on its next possession to make it 24-0 in the second quarter.

South Carolina eventually got on the board before the end of the first half, though. With the wind blowing in his favor this time, Jeter made a 51-yard field goal to go into the half with something positive.

The Gamecocks got the ball back to start the second half and drove down to the Missouri 34. However, the offense only picked up two yards on its next three plays to stall out.

Instead, they settled for another field goal, this time a 41-yarder from Jeter.

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For the first time in awhile, the Gamecock defense was able to get a stop on the next drive. With Missouri set to punt, the snap went low and gave South Carolina the ball back with great field position at the 32-yard marker.

Inside the 15, Rattler threw a perfect pass to Tyshawn Russell on a slant route. But he dropped it. On the next play, Rattler took a third down sack to blow a golden opportunity.

Once again, the Gamecocks had to settle for a field goal, which Jeter made from 38 yards. It was the story of the day. South Carolina drove down the field multiple times but ultimately couldn’t capitalize.

While the defense got off to an abysmal start, it did play a lot better after halftime. The Gamecocks held Missouri to only 45 yards and zero points in the third quarter.

But it wouldn’t be much longer before the Tigers got on the score board again. Early in the fourth quarter, South Carolina got a stop on third down, but Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis made a 53-yard field goal to extend the lead.

Now down by 18, South Carolina couldn’t afford any more mistakes. It had to start putting together some touchdown drives. And it had its best chance of the day to do so on the next drive.

Set up in the red zone at the five-yard line, the Gamecocks were unable to get in the end zone. For the fourth time, it was Jeter who did the scoring on a 21-yard field goal.

South Carolina’s defense continued to play well and got another stop. But after a 16-yard run by Rattler, he threw a pass that went through the hands of O’Mega Blake for a Missouri interception.

It was a challenging day for Rattler, who did what he could to make plays happen, but he faced pressure nearly every snap. He was sacked four times and finished 19-for-33 with 192 yards.

Right on cue, Missouri drove down the field and put the finishing touches on the win with an 11-yard touchdown run from Schrader.

Up next: South Carolina’s road trip will continue with a date in College Station against Texas A&M next Saturday. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. on ESPN.

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