South Carolina lost badly in Columbia, Missouri on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers seemed to have all of the answers and several mismatches in their favor. The Gamecocks defense has struggled mightily in the weeks leading up their matchup in CoMo. Having a leaky defense means needing an offense that can score and be explosive. Carolina’s offense had no chance as the Gamecocks were destroyed at Missouri. The offensive line proved incapable of protecting Spencer Rattler or opening holes in the running game. Combine that with a defense that could not stop anything the Tigers threw at them and the result was a 34-12 loss.
Pre-snap penalties, bad snaps, and dropped passes halted the Gamecocks offense, especially in the early going. But more than anything, this was a line of scrimmage ball game and Carolina lost it on both sides. Missouri put pressure on Rattler consistently. On defense, the Gamecocks front six could do nothing with Missouri’s offensive line.
Struggling With The Ball
The Gamecocks had negative eight yards rushing in the first half due to multiple sacks. Holes were not opening in the run game to allow Mario Anderson and crew to get things going on the ground. The rushing attack has been increasing over the past few weeks and giving Carolina some balance on offense. When the Gamecocks have put together some semblance of a run game, the pressure on Rattler is significantly decreased. Naturally, when the running game is a threat, defenses must respect it.
Dowell Loggains attempted to establish the run early on and give Rattler some space. However, Missouri’s defense shut that down from the beginning. As the game went on the Gamecocks fell farther and farther behind. So, the Tigers were able to turn up the pressure more and more. The Gamecocks offensive line was destroyed at Missouri and Rattler felt the impact of 6 total sacks before it was all said and done. The O-line unit also lost yet another player, Tree Babalade, to a knee injury.
Another Falling Star
To make matters worse, the injury bug continued to bite the Gamecocks in a big way. Midway through the second quarter, Xavier Legette, who was fifth nationally in receiving yards coming into the game, went out with an “upper-body injury.” He did not return. Legette is an elite talent who possesses unique size and speed. His ability to go up and complete contested catches is something that no other Gamecock receiver has shown the ability to do. His absence made it even more difficult for Carolina to move the ball downfield. Dropped passes from inexperienced receivers became glaringly evident. Freshman Nyck Harbor stepped in and got some quality snaps in Legette’s spot. He made plays and gained some confidence on the outside. This sliver of a bright spot could help the Gamecocks later in the season; and, certainly will help in 2024.
Negative Consistency on Defense
Clayton White is on the hot seat as defensive coordinator at South Carolina. The Gamecock’s defense was destroyed at every level against Mizzou. Carolina was giving up over 31 points per game entering this contest. SEC opponents were averaging 34 points per game. That is just what Missouri did to the Gamecocks. Brady Cook’s numbers aren’t all that impressive through the air. The Tiger’s QB was just 14 of 24 for 198 yards and a touchdown. However, he hit the big passes when he needed them. He led the Mizzou offense to a 24-0 lead before the Gamecocks knew what hit them. Cook was highly effective with his legs. He carried the ball nine times for 64 yards including a 17-yard touchdown run.
From the running back position, Cody Schrader did damage. He rushed for 159 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns, averaging just over six yards per carry. Schrader gashed the Gamecocks much like the backs from Tennessee did just a few weeks ago. Consistency on the ground created a situation where Cook did not have to do much through the air. It also opened opportunities for big shots downfield. Defenders often did not touch Schrader until he reached the second or third level. Missouri destroyed the Gamecocks on the line of scrimmage. Beamer said during the post-game that emphasis on getting takeaways was at the forefront this week. The Gamecocks did not force any turnovers in Columbia.
In Position Is Not Enough
Luther Burden (third nationally in receiving yards) set the tone early with a 42-yard touchdown catch. He ended the game with four catches totaling 90 yards. On the big touchdown in the first quarter, Burden had a couple of steps on Jalon Kilgore with DQ Smith closing in from the other side. Cook underthrew the ball a bit and Burden rose up to high point the ball. The concerning element of this play is not that a freshman defensive back was beaten by one of the nation’s best. But instead, the alarming thing is neither Smith nor Kilgore attempted to make a play on the ball.
The lack of awareness from defensive backs who are in a good position has been a problem all season for the Gamecocks. They are not being toasted, but instead are giving up acrobatic catches in traffic because they are more focused on getting the receiver to the ground quickly or swiping the arms of the receiver after the ball is caught. Opportunities abound to deflect passes and, occasionally, intercept passes. Gamecock defensive backs have been destroyed in these situations all year as they can’t get into position to reach the ball or simply don’t turn and make the play. Failure to make plays on the ball against a player like Burden was a clear setup for the Gamecocks to lose this one.
Not So Special Teams
Beamer and Special Teams Coordinator Pete Lembo are known for high-level special teams productivity. Last season, South Carolina’s special teams unit was arguably the best in the country. This year, it has been underwhelming by the recent Gamecock’s standard. On Saturday afternoon, the special teams unit did account for all 12 of South Carolina’s points on four field goals from Mitch Jeter. However, Jeter also missed a 51-yarder on the Gamecocks’ opening drive, only the second miss of his career. The punting game was a bright spot for this unit as Kai Kroeger was able to pin the Tigers inside the 15-yard line multiple times.
The kickoff unit failed to reach the 25-yard line more than once as Mizzou gave them a few opportunities to return the football. Naturally, it doesn’t help that Carolina’s leading kickoff returner, Legette, was out for most of the game. In the punt return game, Eddie Lewis chose to let a punt past him in the middle of the second half, ending in a Gamecock drive beginning inside the two-yard line. These mishaps come on the heels of a few special teams blunders in the loss the Florida last week. The most reliable unit on the team has contributed to the tough season by turning in multiple performances far below the standard.
What Does This Mean?
South Carolina is spinning out of control after the Gamecocks were destroyed at Missouri on Saturday afternoon. With a tough matchup in College Station, TX looming next week, the Gamecocks are in danger of dropping a fourth straight game. Beamer is facing his biggest challenge yet as he tries to hold to gather a beaten and battered roster. Injuries are depleting the available talent. Lack of execution and youth at key positions cause one-on-one mismatches in abundance. And a “special” final season with the best quarterback in school history is down the drain. Fans are calling out players and calling for firing coaches. Beamer will earn his money in the final five games of the season, but it is not time to turn on the third-year head coach yet. Success is not linear and this year is proving just that.
