Missouri Football: Tigers fall to South Carolina, 31-13
Missouri’s lackluster performance on offense and special teams allowed South Carolina to put up 21 unanswered points in the Tigers’ SEC home opener.
Well, what we didn’t expect would happen, happened on both sides of the ball tonight, while special teams also took a turn for the worse.
On offense, the Tigers remained one dimensional throughout much of the game. Missouri relied heavily on the run in the first half, which was working good enough for the Tigers, until running back Damarea Crockett was pulled from the game and never returned.
In the second half, the Tigers went pass-heavy, and continued to fall victim to South Carolina’s defensive pressure, as quarterback Drew Lock tossed two interceptions in the game.
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While Missouri was on the losing end of this game, Lock’s passing stats (14/32 for 245 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions) also dipped from last week, which considering the quality of opponent, is to be expected.
A couple of bright spots in the receiving game came from tight end Jason Reese and wide receiver Dimetrious Mason. J’Mon Moore seemed to return to his 2016 form, as he dropped a number of passes.
For Missouri, special teams struggled to put points on the board, as the Gamecocks blocked a Tucker McCann field goal attempt who also kicked the ball to South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel, who returned the ball 97 yards for a touchdown. If you’re keeping count, McCann has cost the Tigers 13 points so far this season, and it’s only the second week.
The Tigers’ defense was improved. Early in the game, Missouri’s defensive front put pressure on South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley, getting behind the offensive line to create tipped passes and at least one sack.
Against South Carolina, the Tigers were a polar opposite of themselves from a week ago. There were a number of mental miscues, and costly errors. Issues which, against Missouri State were more forgiving than against an SEC opponent.
Next: Halftime versus South Carolina
Next week, Missouri (1-1) hosts Purdue (1-1) for its third home game before resuming SEC play against Auburn on Sept. 23. After seeing a high octane offense fall flat, and slight improvement from the defense, it’s difficult to remain positive about the direction this season may be going. Hopefully, the Tigers can find a better balance next weekend.