Mizzou football: Tigers lead Gamecocks in defensive battle

Mizzou football leads South Carolina 17-7 after sluggish first half.

It was an ugly start, but Mizzou football was able to break through for a touchdown late in the first half to go up 10.

The second-to-last drive of the half finally got it going.

Mizzou ran the football by using Kelly Bryant and a little trickery on a reverse to Johnathon Johnson. The runs got the Tigers to the 3, and on first and goal, Bryant hit Albert Okwuegbunam for the easy touchdown.

Missouri Tigers Football

That play was particularly smart because the South Carolina defense was able to stop Mizzou’s run game inside the 5 on four-straight tries the last time Mizzou was down there. This time, Mizzou decided to pass.

Before that, Mizzou’s only TD came because of a freshman doing what freshmen sometimes do.

South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski wanted to knock his toss down after it was deflected by Chris Turner, but instead the quarterback caught the ball and threw it down. The throw was backward, and Cale Garrett smartly picked the ball up in the end zone for a touchdown.

Other than that, Saturday’s first half had a little Wyoming feel to it, as the offense was not energized and had a pair of turnovers. But the defense kept the Tigers afloat, unlike in Week 1. So maybe it’s just two SEC teams going at it as opposed to inept offenses.

A back-and-forth punting match went on for most of the first half, but the Tigers were getting the better of it. Two Tucker McCann punts pinned the Gamecocks deep, and a third to end the half, and returner Richaud Floyd got the Tigers to around midfield twice on solid returns.

Mizzou’s failure at the goal line early in the game didn’t matter too much, because Garrett’s fumble recovery made it 7-0 anyway.

We’ve seen some ugly meltdowns, even in this series, so Barry Odom and Co. will want to pay full attention with a 10-point lead in the second half.

One thing is for sure — the Mizzou defense is proving its worth, and that should hold off any chance of a Gamecocks comeback.