The Missouri Tigers entered Saturday’s home game against South Carolina on a 3-game losing streak against the Gamecocks.

Last year, on the road, the Tigers lost in dramatic fashion, as a rainstorm provided a spark to the Gamecocks and helped them to victory under backup QB Michael Scarnecchia. This year, QB Jake Bentley was once again hurt, so the job fell to true freshman Ryan Hilinski, who was making his 3rd career start.

Hilinski might have been dealing with an elbow issue, but it shouldn’t take anything away from the effort the Tigers’ defense displayed Saturday afternoon.

How did the Tigers exorcise their South Carolina demons? And how can they keep this momentum going? Let’s take a look at what they can do moving forward:

Keep winning the turnover battle

The Tigers have committed 6 turnovers, but they’ve managed to create 7 takeaways — good for a +1 turnover margin through 4 games. After losing the battle 3-0 against Wyoming, though, things have turned around.

Against West Virginia, the Tigers forced 3 turnovers and committed 0 to even things out. Then, against SEMO, it was a 1-1 turnover battle.

Against South Carolina, the Tigers had 3 takeaways (including 2 that went for touchdowns) and only coughed it up twice. With the 2 defensive scores, the Tigers’ D accounted for 14 points, which was the same as the South Carolina offense.

Here’s a look at a bizarre play in which Hilinski caught a pass from himself and then threw the ball backward, allowing LB Cale Garrett to scoop it up in the end zone for an easy 6 points:

Continuing to take the ball away will be critical for this team moving forward.

Outstanding run defense

The Tigers’ pass defense has been surprisingly strong all season, but Saturday, the run defense stepped up in a big way. Facing South Carolina’s revamped rushing attack featuring Clemson transfer Tavien Feaster and Rico Dowdle, the Tigers allowed only 16 rushing yards.

Mizzou’s defense is No. 6 in the country in yards allowed per game, giving up only 231.3 yards per contest. While the run defense could still use some work, Saturday’s effort was a huge momentum booster.

Other than Georgia, which is No. 19 in the country in rushing yards, Troy has the best rushing attack the Tigers will face on their remaining schedule. The Trojans are No. 56 in the country, averaging 179.7 rushing yards per game.

Coming out of an off week, the Tigers will need to rest up and come out strong to prove Saturday’s effort against the Gamecocks was no fluke.

Please, please, please avoid another embarrassing setback

This team could (and should) be 4-0 entering next Saturday’s game against Troy. The Tigers have an off week this weekend to prepare for the Trojans, so there will be no excuses when they host their final nonconference foe.

No excuses? Expected to win? Sounds a lot like a game Barry Odom-led teams have lost in the past (including this year’s Week 1 embarrassment at Wyoming).

Is this team different? Are the Tigers ready to take a big step forward? Those questions will be answered on Oct. 5 at Faurot Field.

Troy is no slouch. The Trojans have beaten Nebraska (2018) and LSU (2017) and only lost 30-24 against Clemson in 2016. All of those games were on the road. Troy won’t be scared to come to Faurot Field, so the Tigers will need to be on top of things all day long to avoid another nonconference upset.

If they beat the Trojans and look good doing it, I promise to stop referencing the Wyoming loss in every article I write. Until then, though, Mizzou will need to prove it can get the job done.