South Carolina’s emotional roller coaster of a season continued Saturday night after the Gamecocks squandered a late 13-point lead to lose their second home game of the season and likely a shot at a Eastern Division championship.

  • DEFENSE HAS ITS BEST PERFORMANCE, BUT COMES UP SHORT: After forcing a season-high 10 punts with constant pressure on Mizzou quarterback Maty Mauk, South Carolina’s defense gave up two touchdown drives on the Tigers’ final pair of possessions in the fourth quarter, the last capped off on 4th-and-goal with 1:36 remaining on a 1-yard plunge from Russell Hansbrough. The Gamecocks limited Mizzou to just two third-down conversions on 16 tries despite coming in with the SEC’s worst third-down defense. That’s a positive South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward can take away from his inexperienced unit heading into next week’s game at Kentucky.
  • STEVE SPURRIER COULD’VE CALLED A BETTER GAME: I rarely question coaching decisions, but this loss needs to be addressed, especially after Spurrier placed the blame directly on his players last week. First, a bad decision to go for it on fourth down on the game’s first possession led to a Mizzou touchdown four plays later. Second, not electing to try for the two-point conversion with 7:25 left may have given the Gamecocks a 21-7 lead, but instead, left the advantage at just 13 points (with a PAT needed to win). Third, several questionable calls on third down led to catches a few yards shy of first down markers. It wasn’t the HBC’s best outing.
  • OFFENSIVE LINE STRUGGLES WITH MIZZOU’S PASS RUSH: Chased throughout, quarterback Dylan Thompson was sacked four times and had trouble evading pressure, a byproduct of athletic speed rushers off the edge from Shane Ray and Co. The Gamecocks struggled to find holes in the Tigers’ zone and when passing lanes were there, Thompson was on the move without a strong pocket.
  • TIGHT END PLAY WAS PUTRID: Rory Anderson, who caught five passes for 21 yards on underneath routes, dropped a sure touchdown pass in the red zone while Jerell Adams had a ball slip through his fingers that would’ve gone for at least 20 yards. Thompson’s top tight end targets didn’t help their cause in hopes of getting more balls thrown their way in the future.
  • MIKE DAVIS REMAINS THE GLUE: South Carolina’s junior tailback made the most of minimal creases against a strong front seven, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He caught two passes for 31 yards in the first half but the ball never went his way through the air again.