Five Takeaways From Missouri's Dominant Win Over South Carolina
The No. 20 Missouri Tigers defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 34-12 on Saturday, continuing their best start (7-1) since 2013.
In a matchup that featured deep throws, long runs and a bunch of sacks, here are five takeaways from the Mayor's Cup beatdown:
1. South Carolina Couldn't Handle Missouri's Pass-Rush
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz's game plan against South Carolina was to rattle quarterback Spencer Rattler by applying constant pressure. Going into Saturday, the 23-year-old had the fifth-most passing yards (1,724) in the SEC, and his production often comes from moving around or even outside of the pocket to create time and space.
That being said, Rattler also moves around a lot because the offensive line collapses quickly. The Gamecocks had allowed 25 sacks this season before Saturday, which is the third-most in the SEC.
Drinkwitz also emphasized this game plan because his defense does an excellent job in the sack department, as they had notched the sixth-most in the SEC (19) before kickoff.
This defensive strategy worked from start to finish, as the Tigers logged a season-high six sacks. Linebackers Triston Newson, Ty'Ron Hopper and Chuck Hicks, and defensive linemen Jayden Jernigan, Darius Robinson, Joe Moore and Johnny Walker Jr. were responsible for at least 0.5 sacks.
2. Brady Cook Was Dominant in the First Half, But Quiet in the Second
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook finished the game completing 14-of-24 attempts for 198 yards and a touchdown. While these numbers aren't spectacular, the 22-year-old also rushed for 64 yards, including a 17-yard score.
Nevertheless, a heavy majority of these numbers came in the first half, as Cook helped give Missouri a dominant 24-3 lead at the break. He was kept quiet in the third and most of the fourth quarter, until an interception by defensive back Jaylon Carlies brought the offense back alive.
On his final drive (besides the kneel-downs), Cook connected with wide receiver Luther Burden II for a 30-yard over-the-shoulder completion, and running back Cody Schrader finished the drive/game with an 11-yard touchdown run.
Cook hurt his season average of 293 passing yards per game on Saturday, but his status as a top-10 total passing yards leader is still intact.
3. Cody Schrader is Becoming a Major Threat in the SEC
Missouri running back Cody Schrader rushed 26 times for a season-high 159 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday.
Heading into the game, Schrader had the second-most rushing yards with 648. When the final whistle blew, he became the new No. 1, passing Kentucky running back Ray Davis, who had 781. Nevertheless, the Wildcats are on an open week, and Schrader is now just 26 yards ahead.
Schrader's several long gains may have been Missouri's most effective way of scoring 34 points.
4. Missouri's Pass Defense Kept Receivers in Check
In addition to an effective pass-rush, Missouri's defensive backs also handled Rattler's pass attempts very well throughout the game. The South Carolina quarterback was tied for the seventh-best completion percentage in the FBS going into the Mayor's Cup, but he completed just a little over half of them (23-of-40) on Saturday.
Granted, a decent amount of his incompletions were due to heavy pressure, but the Tigers broke-up five of them—Defensive backs Daylan Carnell, Joseph Charleston, Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Jaylon Carlies each contributed one.
Although he suffered an apparent hand injury midway through the second quarter, Missouri's pass defense did a very solid job on South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Leggette, who recorded just one catch for 20 yards. Leggette went into this game with the fifth-most receiving yards in the FBS.
South Carolina tight end Trey Knox hauled-in the most receptions with five, but every other pass-catcher had no more than three.
5. Missouri's Defense in the Second Half Was Crucial in the Outcome
As previously stated, Missouri's offense really couldn't get going for most of the second half, as they were forced to punt numerous times and even turned the ball over on downs.
South Carolina recorded a couple of long gains both through the air and on the ground in the final 30 minutes, but Missouri wouldn't allow them in the endzone, as they settled for three field goals.
A couple of sacks, tackles for loss and Carlies' aforementioned interception provided the defense with all the momentum they could possibly need to hold the Gamecocks to their lowest point total this season.
