
Although a hypothetical fight between a tiger and a gamecock would likely be lopsided, the Tigers and Gamecocks have been a little more evenly-matched on the gridiron (although the Tigers have won more times than not).
The morning before each Mizzou football game in 2024, Rock M’s Quentin Corpuel will look back at MU’s best moments versus that week’s opponent. This week: South Carolina.
Opponent: South Carolina Gamecocks
Gametime: Saturday, Nov. 16 at 3:15 p.m.
Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina
Record versus South Carolina: 9-5
While Mizzou’s history with South Carolina isn’t as extensive as an old Big 6 foe like Oklahoma, the heat between the two Columbia schools is certainly prevalent.
The Tigers and Gamecocks have squared off just 14 times, 12 of them as members of the SEC. But the series has already featured multiple wild comebacks, improbable moments and chaotic field goal attempts. Most of the time, MU has emerged on the right side of history.
Honorable mention: Defensive dominance (10/3/2015)
The 2015 season was, for a lot of reasons both on and off the field, a test of will in the face of desolate defeat.
However, Week 4 against South Carolina proved to be a day of joy for Mizzou. After being dealt its first loss at Kentucky, the Tigers bounced back with a rock-solid 24-10 win over the Gamecocks. Drew Lock had his most clean and efficient game of the season, completing 75% of his passes for a pair of touchdowns and no turnovers. Ish Witter ran for 98 yards and a touchdown, and Mizzou picked off SC quarterback Lorenzo Nunez three times.
#5: Homecoming magic (10/26/2013)
A 96-yard touchdown to go up 14-0 on Homecoming against a ranked team with a chance to go 7-0 and remain in the AP top 5? That’s pretty awesome!
One of my favorite aspects of this moment is the camera pan to Faurot Field rocking; I’ve never operated one of those cameras before, but I wouldn’t be opposed to those kinds of shots happening more often. For example, Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds recorded a pick-six in the first quarter against Washington, and the camera zoomed all the way out to show tens of thousands of IU fans shouting happily into the universe. The moment felt bigger as a result, and I’m all for sports moments expanding to the size of the sun.
Now, the main reason this play isn’t higher was out of L’Damian Washington and Maty Mauk’s control. The Tigers would squander a 17-point lead and fall to South Carolina in overtime, with the knife in the chest being Andrew Baggett bank-shotting a short field off the left upright in double-overtime.
#4: Tucker Mc-Clutch (10/6/2018)
In a way, Tucker McCann picked up where Baggett left off.
The Illinois native ended his college career with a field goal percentage of 72.6%; since McCann’s freshman season in 2016, the single-season average for college kickers with at least one field goal attempt per game has never dipped below 75%.
But on one particular afternoon in The Palmetto State, McCann couldn’t miss. As Mizzou’s offense kept stalling in scoring position after the first quarter, McCann would continuously salvage three points. Late in the fourth quarter, McCann was 4/4 on the day with two made kicks from 22 yards, one from 32 and another from 44.
But now, with his team down by one and under 90 seconds remaining in regulation, McCann needed to convert a 56-yarder to give MU the lead, which would be a career-long.
And boy, he crushed it.
Like the 2013 game, however, McCann’s shining moment is partially downgraded because the rest of the team fell apart in the end. On the ensuing South Carolina drive, the Tigers allowed the Gamecocks to march right into field goal range themselves, and Parker White kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal.
#3: Closing out the ‘70’s on a high note (12/29/1979)
1979 was yet another what-could’ve-been season for Mizzou.
After going 8-4 in 1978, Warren Powers’ crew was ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll to start the following year. The Tigers won their first three games, pushing them all the way up to No.5 before a date with No. 4 Texas. Unfortunately, Mizzou got the horns in a 21-0 shutout defeat, catalyzing a stretch where it would lose five of its next seven games. It wasn’t all completely doom-and-gloom, however; the Tigers fell to No. 2 Nebraska by just three and to No. 7 Oklahoma by two.
Nevertheless, MU finished the regular season 6-5 and were sent to Birmingham, Alabama for a clash with No. 16 South Carolina in the Hall of Fame Classic. The Gamecocks had put together a historic season, winning eight games for the first time since 1903, when they took down vaunted programs such as the Columbia YMCA and Welch Neck High.
The actual game was a bit clunky, but Mizzou responded after falling behind 6-0 early. The Tigers went on a 17-0 scoring run to end the first half, and an 11-yard touchdown run by Gerry Ellis proved to be the dagger in a 24-14 MU victory. It wasn’t quite the season that Mizzou wanted, but it ended with a win nonetheless.
#2: The comeback in Carolina (9/27/2014)
This win didn’t look as cool in retrospect, as South Carolina, who started the season ranked No. 9 and sat at No. 13 when it played Mizzou, finished 7-6.
But that’s just about the only detractor from what was an epic victory for MU. Despite trailing 20-7 in the fourth quarter and Mauk having one of his worst days as a passer (he’d finish 12/34), the Tigers never gave up. The defense began to stymie South Carolina, and the offense rode Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough to the finish line.
Hansbrough would score a pair of one-yard rushing touchdowns, the first of which saw him bounce to the left side, stumble, regain his balance and reverse field for a score. The second saw him plunge into a mass of humanity and just barely cross the goal-line. The win was sealed when Aarion Penton swatted away a fourth-down pass like a basketball player protecting the rim. The comeback in Carolina was complete.
#1: Declaring a new era in the Independence Bowl (12/30/2005)
Victories in bowl games can be propellers to success in ensuing seasons.
I’m not sure any team has experienced the effects of that like Mizzou in 2005. I’ll let Brandon Kiley provide the play-by-play:
Another season ending in Shreveport. It’s not what you’re looking for, but that was the reality for Mizzou football in 2005.
Gary Pinkel was finishing up his fifth season at Mizzou. After a step forward and an 8-5 finish in 2003 — a season that also ended in the Independence Bowl — the Tigers took a major step back in 2004. Missouri entered ‘04 ranked in the top 20 nationally, but Pinkel’s team finished the year 5-6 and failed to qualify for a bowl game.
More of the same would follow in 2005.
Brad Smith provided plenty of highlights, and Missouri had a couple memorable wins against Iowa State and Nebraska, but losses against New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado and Kansas State, along with a blowout against the eventual National Champion Texas Longhorns left a sour taste in Mizzou fans’ mouths as the team entered bowl season.
Shreveport. Again. For the second time in the last three years. A team that was supposed to take off after 2003 found itself stuck in neutral. Calls among fans for Pinkel to be fired were growing louder.
The game began. Those fans asking for Pinkel to be let go only grew more frustrated as the first quarter came and went.
South Carolina’s opening three series resulted in touchdowns that traveled a combined 154 yards in 16 total plays. The Tigers’ first three drives resulted in a total of zero yards, a lost fumble and two punts in a combined eight plays.
That’s pretty much the way things went until midway through the second quarter. South Carolina found itself leading 21-0 with seven minutes to play in the first half. Brad Smith’s career was full of up-and-down moments, and his final game in a Tigers uniform felt like it was going to be anything but a positive memory.
And then something happened that would change the course of Mizzou football history. Some may say that’s overstating things. I don’t think it is.
On second and 10 from the Mizzou 16 with the Gamecocks’ offense once again driving, the Tigers’ defense came up with a massive play that put the Tigers on the board. Blake Mitchell’s pass was intercepted by Marcus King at the 1-yard line. He returned the interception 99 yards for a touchdown.
The Tigers finally had some life.
And then South Carolina scored once again, and it was 28-7 with just two minutes to play in the first half.
That’s when Smith took over. He led Mizzou’s offense on an 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive to close out the scoring in the first half. The Tigers went into halftime with a manageable 28-14 deficit. They finally showed signs of life offensively.
The Tigers’ offense kicked it into high gear from there. More specifically, Smith turned into Super Man.
Smith, who had 93 yards of total offense with two minutes remaining in the first half, racked up more than 330 yards in the final 32 minutes of the game. The Tigers outscored Steve Spurrier’s team 24-3 in the second half. A team that found itself against the ropes was throwing haymakers at the Gamecocks for the final 30 minutes.
Gary Pinkel turned the page from the hot seat to one of the greatest eras of Mizzou football in program history. Smith went from a stat compiler in some fans’ minds to the player that made everything that happened after him possible.
One game on one day. You never want to overstate its impact. But I don’t know if you can overstate the impact of the Tigers’ comeback in Shreveport against that South Carolina team.
This was the final, glorious moment for the glorious player that was Smith. With his team in dire straits, he conjured up one last act of wizardry to help pull off a historic comeback. For as rollercoaster-y as Smith’s career was, his parting gift may have been the catalyst to Mizzou prospering as much as it did over the next near-decade.
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