For the sixth time in seven years, the Mayor’s Cup belongs to Mizzou.
The Tigers offense turned on the jets late against South Carolina, and Robert Meyer hit a key 40-yard field goal to clinch the 29-20 victory.
The win moves Mizzou to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play.
Kirby Moore’s attack converted on all its scoring opportunities in the second half, scoring on three of five meaningful drives after halftime and recording two touchdowns to push ahead in the final quarter.
The dynamic running back duo of Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts was key to the offense’s late acceleration, scoring both second half touchdowns and combining for 214 rushing yards.
“I just look at it as a one-two punch,” Hardy said, “what he can’t do, I can do; what I can’t do, he can do.”
Hardy, in particular, stole the show with 138 yards and 6.3 yards per carry. The Louisiana-Monroe transfer displayed his full skillset, breaking seemingly dozens of tackles and bowling over countless defenders.
“I didn’t think he was gonna be this good – I mean, let’s be honest,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “The dude’s running through people like he’s a dump truck.”
Mizzou got the ball back with 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter after a William Joyce field goal put the Gamecocks ahead 20-18. Beau Pribula and the offense proceeded to methodically move the ball downfield, gaining at least three yards on each play.
Roberts powered into the end zone to cap the drive on a 16-yard gain, breaking an ankle tackle en route to six points, and Beau Pribula was successful on a two-point conversion to put the team up 26-20.
Death Row Defense held strong on their next two drives, giving Meyer his opportunity to seal the win.
The Tigers front seven manhandled an injury-hampered South Carolina offensive line, holding the Gamecocks to negative nine rushing yards for the game. The line committed six false start penalties and was called for holding twice, 50 yards’ worth of infractions.
Mizzou also contained LaNorris Sellers, recording five sacks and preventing him from using his game-breaking scrambling ability.
Sellers kept the game competitive, though, by gashing the Tigers secondary for 302 yards and two touchdowns. 231 of the 302 yards came on gains of 15 or more, including both of the team’s touchdowns.
“When we watch the tape tomorrow, I’m going to be on secondary coaches’ rear ends, because this is getting ridiculous how porous our pass defense is,” Drinkwitz said, “And that’s got to get shored up in a hurry.”
Mizzou’s defensive dominance was also dampened by a lack of discipline in the first half. Two holding calls on the secondary extended the second drive of the night for South Carolina, nearly resulting in a touchdown.
Sellers missed a wide open Mazeo Bennett downfield on third down, forcing the Gamecocks to punt after a play that would have scored a touchdown with a reception.
The third Tigers penalty of the first half had a greater impact. South Carolina took over at its own 30-yard line after Beau Pribula threw an interception, and Rahsul Faison got stuffed at the line on the first play of the ensuing drive.
Josiah Trotter was called for taunting after making the tackle, a 15-yard penalty, and Sellers found open receivers for big gains on three straight plays. He connected with Brian Rowe, Jr. for a 27-yard touchdown to put the Gamecocks ahead 14-9.
Mizzou found limited success on offense in the opening two quarters, scoring on three of its five drives and outgaining the visitors 246 to 144. The Tigers were able to consistently move downfield by going five of seven on third downs, including a one-handed catch by Marquis Johnson on a shallow crossing route.
The offense got bogged down twice in the red zone, though, and a 22-yard field goal by Meyer with 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter sent Mizzou into halftime trailing 14-12.
“At halftime, I told our guys, if we will just shore up the boots and we continue to run the ball, we’ll win the game,” Drinkwitz said, “Because in the fourth quarter, you’ve got to run to win. And ultimately that’s what we were able to do.”
The two teams traded punches out of the half, but the Tigers held the Gamecocks to field goals on successive drives with two major sacks.
Sellers connected with Vandrevius Jacobs on a 43-yard deep ball that set the visitors up with first-and-goal at the two-yard line on their first drive of the third quarter. Zion Young came up with a 15-yard sack on the next play, and the Tigers’ defense held strong to force a 32-yard field goal by William Joyce.
With South Carolina again driving on its next offensive possession, Sterling Webb brought down Sellers for a loss of 18. Another Joyce field goal gave the Gamecocks the lead, but Mizzou’s touchdown on the next drive put the Tigers ahead for good, maintaining their undefeated record and moving them toward a big matchup in three weeks against Alabama.
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