First look at South Carolina vs. Missouri: Gamecocks are double-digit favorites at home

South Carolina’s football team is coming off a comfortable win at Vanderbilt, marking the third consecutive SEC victory by at least 21 points. The Gamecocks seem to be in a very good place with three winnable games coming up on the schedule.

Missouri pulled off a rather stunning win against Oklahoma that went from boring to wild late, with 28 points scored between both teams in the final 3:18. The Tigers only have two losses and sit at the fringe edge of the playoff picture.

SOUTH CAROLINA VS. MISSOURI GAME, TV INFO

Who: No. 23 South Carolina (6-3, 4-3 SEC) vs. No. 24 Missouri (7-2, 3-2 SEC)

Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.

When: 4:15 p.m. Saturday

TV: SEC Network

POINT SPREAD

The Gamecocks are 10-point favorites against the Tigers according to Circa Sports. The over/under is 44.5 points.

LAST MEETING, TRENDS

The Gamecocks took a 34-12 loss in the meeting last season, falling behind by 21 early and never recovering. The Tigers have won the past five meetings, dating back to 2019, and that’s part of the reason South Carolina trails 9-5 in the series.

STATE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

The Gamecocks are in a very good place after taking care of Vandy, one of the best stories in the SEC in 2024, with a dominant second half. Shane Beamer’s squad has completely run over the opposition coming of the break the past two games, both against pretty solid SEC teams.

A big theme in those games has been a resurgent offense, especially on the ground. The Gamecocks topped 7 yards per play. A big part of that has been the offensive line gelling and Rocket Sanders running around and through people. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers seems to have taken a step in terms of seeing the game and operating the offense.

South Carolina was ranked No. 23 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 and is suddenly looking at a very good opportunity. If they beat Missouri, they’ll clinch a winning SEC record, something that’s happened only eight times since the program joined the league more than 30 years ago. With neither Missouri nor Clemson looking like world beaters, plus an FCS game, South Carolina will almost assuredly have a winning record this season, but they could stack eight or nine wins before December.

STATE OF THE MISSOURI TIGERS

Missouri is in the midst of a season that in many ways looks pretty successful, but doesn’t totally feel that way.

They sit at 7-2, ranked No. 24 and theoretically in the playoff picture, but that’s been aided by a lighter schedule. They’ve handled the very bad teams, but every win against low-level Power 4 teams has been a grind, and every loss has been noncompetitive.

The key factor there has been a big step back for the offense. The team struggled to replace a high-quality tailback, and a committee of transfers has just been passable. The passing game was already not as crisp as last season before quarterback injuries started to strike. What’s resulted is an offense ranked in the 70s in scoring offense and 90s in yards per play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers: Each week, the redshirt freshman just seems to be taking steps forward. Against the Commodores, he connected on 70% of his passes, including a stunning 51-yard pass after all but getting sacked. He’s starting to show a calm leadership and more mastery of everything his offense can do for him. In eight games, he’s thrown for 1,450 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions, while running for 391 yards and four scores.

South Carolina running back Rocket Sanders: The Arkansas transfer has simply grown more invaluable to the Gamecocks attack with each passing week. The Vandy game brought another 120-plus yards, with first downs or scores on more than half his carries. For the year, he’s got 696 yards and 10 scores.

South Carolina cornerback O’Donnell Fortune: Simply put, while Mizzou’s quarterback is the key to the offense, the wide receivers are the ceiling raisers. Fortune is the first in line to try to put a cap on them. The athletic veteran has picked off three passes on the season while posting 32 tackles, two for loss.

Missouri QB Drew Pyne: Before the Oklahoma game, it seemed like the Tigers staff would be doing everything it could to get starter Brady Cook back on the field. But against the Sooners, Pyne showed some moxie late, despite mostly having a low ceiling as a player. The Tigers may well still switch back if Cook can go, but Pyne’s finish could give Eli Drinkwitz a more challenging decision. For the year, Pyne has thrown for 391 yards in parts of six games. He has three interceptions and three touchdowns.

Missouri nickel Daylan Carnell: The 6-foot-2, 215-pound slot corner can create havoc in a variety of ways. He’s been a good run stopper and a very good pass defender, despite that usually being a challenge at that position. For the season he has 34 tackles, five for loss, with six pass break-ups and a pair of forced fumbles.

South Carolina football schedule

• Aug. 31 – South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19

• Sept. 7 – South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6
  
  

• Sept. 14 – LSU 36, South Carolina 33
  
  

• Sept. 21 – South Carolina 50, Akron 7
  
  

• Oct. 5 – Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 3

• Oct. 12 – Alabama 27, South Carolina 25

• Oct. 19 – South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 6

• Nov. 2 – South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20

• Nov. 9 – South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 7

• Nov. 16 – vs. Missouri – 4:15 p.m. // SEC Network

• Nov. 23 – vs. Wofford – 4 p.m., SEC Network+/ESPN+

• Nov. 30 – at Clemson – TBA