Missouri vs. South Carolina: Score and Twitter Reaction
In an SEC matchup that featured little in the way of cohesive offensive play, the Missouri Tigers upset the No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks by a final score of 21-20 on Saturday.
Tigers running back Russell Hansbrough stood out in this mostly dire contest, defined by staunch defense, miscues in the passing game and, of all things, excellent punting. Hansbrough scored the decisive touchdown, his third of the game, with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.
Here is the quarter-by-quarter score from the contest:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Mizzou | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| USC | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
The SEC is known for its suffocating defenses, but that reputation hasn't been upheld by the 2014 Gamecocks, per ESPN Stats & Info:
So it was a surprise to see them handle a Mizzou offense that averaged 38 points per game through the first four weeks of the season, albeit against largely inferior competition.
Josh Kendall of The State called attention to the Gamecocks' improved play in the first half with this nifty tidbit:
Still, Missouri opened up the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run by Hansbrough.
South Carolina struggled to get things rolling from the get-go, with quarterback Dylan Thompson finding it difficult to hook up with his receiving options with any consistency. The Gamecocks didn't answer back until late in the first quarter, scoring their first points of the game with an Elliott Fry field goal.
Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk was even worse than Thompson early on, struggling to string any passes together and watching several Tigers possessions end in punts.
South Carolina running back Mike Davis did well for the Gamecocks, bouncing around and shedding tacklers in the second quarter. He rewarded his teammates with a touchdown run late in the second quarter to give the Gamecocks a 10-7 lead just before the half.
Joe Walljasper of the Columbia Daily Tribune noted the Tigers had done well to contain the Gamecocks offense up to that point:
Missouri failed to convert on third down all night long, thanks to abysmal play from Mauk, who looked nothing like the polished passer who put up 331 yards against the Indiana Hoosiers a week ago.
The Tigers converted just two of 15 third downs on the night.
Mauk—doing very little to ingratiate himself with his own team's fans on the evening—drew the ire of Gamecocks fans when he failed to slow down after running out of bounds and hit South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. Bleacher Report's own Barrett Sallee posted a clip of the notorious play:
Worth noting: Spurrier got up very quickly.
The ball rarely ventured away from midfield in the third quarter, with both teams continually trading punts. In fact, neither team committed a turnover on the night, which is astonishing for a game with such a low scoreline. The Gamecocks did manage to add a field goal in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 13-7.
Sallee summed up the drab affair with this stat early in the fourth quarter:
This game reignited the eternal debate on Twitter: great defenses or atrocious offenses? Naturally, fans chimed in with arguments for both sides:
Spurrier put an end to that debate, at least for Gamecocks fans. Via ESPN SEC:
"Spurrier: "Our defense has played super and our offense sorta stinks right now." SC leads Missouri 10-7.
— ESPN SEC (@ESPN_SEC) September 28, 2014"
With the Tigers offense struggling, the Gamecocks got what looked to be a knockout blow midway through the fourth quarter. Thompson hit wide receiver Pharoh Cooper for a 23-yard touchdown pass, providing South Carolina with a relatively comfortable 20-7 lead.
Perhaps the Tigers offense was merely procrastinating. Just as soon as the Gamecocks opened up a double-digit lead, the Tigers cut it down to size. They drove 68 yards in three plays, most of it coming on a 41-yard pass from Mauk to senior wideout Bud Sasser.
Hansbrough notched his second rushing touchdown of the night from one yard out to make the score 20-14 and put his team right back in the contest.
David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune noted Mauk surpassed his passing output on the night during that one drive:
The Tigers defense held tough on the next possession and forced a lackluster punt that Marcus Murphy did well to return into enemy territory.
Mauk, in fits and starts, brought the team from just inside the Gamecocks half of the field to the 2-yard line. Gamecocks fans holding their breath likely passed out before the Tigers ran a play on third down. SB Nation points out why:
It all came down to fourth down.
The Gamecocks defense, which had done so well for three-and-a-half quarters, finally relented. Hansbrough burrowed through the pileup on the goal line, and when the referees finally sifted through the rubble, they found the powerful back had indeed hit paydirt. Mizzou Football was excited, as one might expect:
The Tigers got the extra point to take a 21-20 lead and left South Carolina with just over a minute to make a comeback. The Tigers went 3-of-3 on fourth-down conversions, in stark contrast with their struggles on third down.
Thompson failed to connect with his receivers on the ensuing possession, and the Gamecocks turned the ball over on downs, allowing Missouri to kneel the ball for the surprising come-from-behind victory.
Spurrier will be disappointed in his team's disjointed play. The Gamecocks drop to 3-2 overall, 2-2 in the SEC East, and needed a merely competent offense to go along with their rejuvenated defense. It will be tough for them to fight through the slog in the SEC East without players on both sides of the ball firing on all cylinders.
Missouri did well to erase the sting of losing to Indiana at home and is now 1-0 in SEC play. Mauk will need to be much more consistent going forward, but the Tigers have an excellent chance of making a run in the SEC East this season. A showdown with No. 12 Georgia awaits on Oct. 11.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
