The Mayor’s Cup is staying in Columbia, Missouri this year.

Mizzou picked up its best win of the season Saturday against No. 25 South Carolina, dominating all 3 phases of the game for a 23-10 win over the Gamecocks. For all intents and purposes, it was never really close.

The Tigers snapped a 4-game winning streak in the process, derailing one of the hotter teams in the SEC in the progress – on the road, mind you.

The Tigers are now up to 4 wins on the season, making their potential run to a bowl game plausible with 4 to go. The Tigers have Kentucky, Tennessee, New Mexico State and Arkansas still on the docket, with the latter 2 representing legitimate possibilities. The Razorbacks will be a tough win in Fayetteville, admittedly.

But if Brady Cook keeps playing like he did against the Gamecocks, maybe it will be a touch easier. The sophomore quarterback put the Tigers where they needed to be and limited costly mistakes in the progress, leading a pair of touchdown drives in the first half. Cook finished with 17 completions for 224 yards, rushing for 53 yards with 1 touchdown.

The star of the day was not Cook, however. Sophomore wide receiver Dominic Lovett earns that honor.

Lovett was a monster Saturday. Whenever Cook needed a completion, Lovett was usually where head coach Eli Drinkwitz turned. By game’s end, Lovett had accounted for 10 receptions for 148 yards.

Mizzou’s defense was probably the 2nd most important variable in their upset win. The Tigers allowed the Gamecocks just 186 total yards, forcing 2 turnovers and holding Spencer Rattler to just 154 yards passing with 1 interception.

The Tigers really only slipped up on defense once – at the end of the first half. Mizzou let South Carolina drive the field on a 12-play, 82-yard drive to take 3 and a half minutes off the clock. What was scarier at the time was the fact that the crowd-backed Gamecocks were to receive the ball after the halftime break.

Kicker Harrison Mevis was his usual hot/cold self Saturday. He missed a short field goal to put the Tigers up 13 early in the 3rd quarter but later connected on a 50-yard boot to take a 2-possession lead late. He doinked a 32-yard field goal through the next possession to up Mizzou’s lead to 13.

Mevis is now 2 for 4 on field goals of 20-29 yards and 4 for 5 on field goals of 50+. A perfectly normal stat line. He made 3 total field goals on Saturday.

The ranked opponent party continues next week for the Tigers. Mizzou travel home to Columbia to take on No. 19 Kentucky and a strong Wildcats defense. Kentucky and Missouri are set to battle on Nov. 5 at Noon on SEC Network.

Who knows? A 2-game winning streak could turn into 3. Never say never, Tigers fans.