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| South Carolina defensive lineman Chaz Sutton picks up a fumble on a botched option play by Missouri and returns it 70 yards for a Gamecocks touchdown in the second quarter. Photo by Danny Webster - Playstation 3. |
FINAL
No. 15 South Carolina (5-2, 4-2) 38
Missouri (4-4, 2-3) 31
TOP PERFORMERS
Franklin (Mizz) - 22-of-30, 355 yards, 2 TD
Thompson (SC) - 18-of-25, 240 yards, 3 TD
Josey (Mizz) - 16 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD
Wilds (SC) - 18 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD
Green-Beckham (Mizz) - 9 catches, 220 yards, 1 TD
Washington (Mizz) - 5 catches, 90 yards
Jones (SC) - 5 catches, 62 yards, 1 TD
Sutton (SC) - 1 Fumble Recovery, 70-yard touchdown
Clowney (SC) - 5 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack
Baggett (Mizz) - 3-of-3 FGM
RECAP
Down by 22 points mid-way through the third quarter, James Franklin and Dorial Green-Beckham went to work.
Big play after big play got Missouri back in the game, down seven points, within a four-minute span. It looked like another astounding comeback that was going to put Mizzou atop the SEC East with four games to go.
But that was the closest the 'Cardiac Cats' got. And now, they need some help in a big way to close the season.
Franklin had another terrific day throwing the ball with 355 yards and two touchdowns, while his counterpart Green-Beckham reeling in 220 of those yards. But the 38-31 loss that the Tigers (4-4, 2-3) suffered to No. 15 South Carolina (5-2, 4-2) was due to a plethora of things.
Head coach Calvin Smith just had to reassure that his top quarterback and wide receiver weren't the blunt of any blame.
"I swear, those two kids make my job a hell of a lot easier," he said. "Not that losing by seven makes it any better, but they got us back in this game. We just couldn't get stops when needed. Story of our season."
All in all, the Tigers played rather well by looking at the stats across the board. They outgained South Carolina 445-403, did another terrific job of converting on 3rd down opportunities going 6-of-12 and converted all four red zone opportunities.
The major difference? South Carolina made good use of its possessions, while Mizzou settled for three first half field goals by Andrew Baggett, all inside the 20-yard line. Meanwhile, Gamecocks quarterback Dylan Thompson threw three touchdown passes, who has been playing in place of Connor Shaw due to season-ending injuries.
Yet no play was bigger in the first half than with 5:29 left in the second quarter. The Tigers ran an option play with running back Henry Josey in the slot. The play was designed to pitch the ball to Josey with Franklin rolling to his right.
But Franklin was hit when he pitched the ball, and it went backwards about 10 yards before South Carolina defensive lineman Chaz Sutton picked up the ball and ran 70 yards for a backbreaking touchdown.
"That hurt," Franklin said. "That hurt me physically and emotionally. "That was an all-around bad play on my part. To think this could be a much closer game had that not happened."
With the Tigers down 22 in the third quarter, the thought of a close game wasn't relevant. Rain was coming down on the field and on the Tigers' hope to get back to contention for a spot in the conference championship game.
That's when momentum picked up. Josey took a stretch handoff to the right side and went untouched for a 27-yard touchdown. Followed by a 2-point conversion, it was a 14-point game.
After Mizzou desperately got the stop they needed, it took only two plays on the Tigers' next drive before the lead was cut to seven, when DGB beat the defensive back off the line of scrimmage on a streak route and went 71 yards for a touchdown. 31-24 Gamecocks, and the Tigers were playing the part yet again.
"There's a point in time where you know you have something special," Smith said. "We have that with Dorial. His size is astounding and it makes life tough on defense."
Mizzou had numerous chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Even when Brandon Wilds scored a 3-yard touchdown with 5:24 left in the game, Franklin responded with his second touchdown pass to Bud Sasser with 2:55 to go.
But the Tigers' defense couldn't get the Gamecocks off the field, running the rest of the clock for a victory that Smith said he should've had over his coaching idol, Steve Spurrier.
"We had a real chance to make a statement, and yet again, we couldn't do it," he said. "Now, forget about conference championships right now. We're fighting for a bowl game. And we have to climb real high for this one."
The good news for Mizzou is that "Hell Month" may have ended a week early. Mizzou returns home to take on a struggling Tennessee squad who is no longer ranked in the top-25, which was the premise of why the month of October was tough.
The Volunteers made headlines for starting the year 3-0 with wins against No. 7 Oregon on the road, and No. 19 Florida. Since then, they've lost four of their last five games and fell out of the polls as a result.
So, that's one good thing Smith has going for his team. But if they want to reach the conference title game, they need to win out (easier said than done), and need a lot of help.
"Right now, the goal is to finish the season strong," Smith said. "Hell Month is over. It's time to look at the big picture and see if we can finish big."
RECRUITING NEWS
Chalk up three more recruits coming to Mizzou next year.
Defendive back Jason Anderson, guard Tyrone Simmons and offensive tackle Chris Goins become the next batch of Tigers to join the den for the 2014 season. Last week, Joseph Pitts and Jerod Wiley became the first recruits for Calvin Smith.
Mizzou has decided early on to keep local with its recruiting, and Anderson is the highest-rated local prospect to sign with the Tigers. A three-star prospect from Maryland Heights, Anderson brings great speed to a secondary that needs it.
"Not only is he fast, but he can play man and zone," Smith said. "He's versatile, and that's what we need. I feel like I say that a lot, but it's true."
Simmons is another guy who Smith feels can be a gem. He's a bit undersized for the guard position at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, but he has good strength and is a decent pass blocker.
The one problem he needs to address is run blocking, where the Ballwin native struggled at during high school, but the fact that he can protect the quarterback is something worth noting.
Finally, Goins is a tackle who can play either side of the line and also brings a balance to his game with pass and run blocking. He also brings a lot of size: All 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds worth. If needed, he could switch to guard in a couple of years.
"Chris is one of those guys who I feel can contribute in a year or so," Smith said. "That mass he brings to the line is much needed, and whomever the quarterback is, will be safe knowing he's got him backing him up."
Five prospects will attend Saturday's game against Tennessee.
1) Nick Larson, ATH. Top prospect on Mizzou's board.
2) Damon Mitchell, QB. Scrambling quarterback prospect.
3) Tony Cross, WR. Four-star receiver with great athleticism.
4) Rich Johnson, ATH. Another one of Smith's gems with great speed.
5) Ron Jones, HB. Has become Mizzou's top choice at running back.
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