How Mizzou Established Its Identity in Win Over South Carolina

Connor Tollison put his hands to his head, watching as wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. got tripped up in the backfield. Coleman’s sweep on a third-and-12 turned into a loss of two.

Instead of securing a win over South Carolina with a first-down conversion, Missouri would need true freshman Robert Meyer to make a kick from 40 yards out. Earlier in the game, his extra-point attempt bounced off the right upright. Last week, he missed a kick from 41.

Eli Drinkwitz licked his teeth, watching as Meyer trotted out for the kick. A miss would’ve given South Carolina a chance to win the game, trailing by just 6 with 1:38 remaining.

But as soon as Meyer’s kick made it past the line of scrimmage, there was no doubt he had made it.

“Ice in his veins,” quarterback Beau Pribula said of Meyer. “When the game mattered most, he stepped up.”

Though there was reason for everyone else to doubt Meyer, there was only faith on Missouri’s sideline.

As Missouri drove into field-goal range, Drinkwitz turned to Meyer and said “We believe in you.”

Meyer was just one of many Missouri players who turned a costly error into a crucial performance.

For most of the first three quarters, the Tigers were getting in their own way.

Well in the case of the defensive secondary, they were in the way of none of the South Carolina receiving group down the field. The top of the secondary was one of the biggest insecurities for Missouri entering the game.

The Missouri pass rushing group was able to take advantage of the fact that South Carolina had two different starters along the offensive line, constantly generating pressure.

But no matter how much pressure he was under, quarterback LaNorris Sellers was consistently able to deliver ridiculous passes to wide-open receivers. He completed eight passes of 15 or more yards, mostly to receivers who had created plenty of separation. Those explosive chunk plays accounted for 231 of Sellers’ 302 passing yards.

“When we watch the tape tomorrow, I'm going to be on some secondary coaches’ rear ends, because this is getting ridiculous, how porous our pass defense is,” Drinkwitz said. “That's got to get shored up in a hurry.”

READ: Drinkwitz Says Mizzou's Pass Coverage Issues Are 'Getting Ridiculous'

This rang true on a third-and-37 late in the third quarter, when three pass rushers had free lanes to Sellers. But instead of being sacked, Sellers rolled out to his right to complete a 33-yard pass on the run to wide receiver Nyck Harbor, who was yards ahead of the nearest defender.

This key completion moved South Carolina from their own 49, to the Missouri 18, setting up for a 36-yard kick to give the Gamecocks a 20-18 lead entering the fourth quarter.

But in that fourth quarter, Missouri’s defense was pivotal in helping Missouri take back the lead. In the fourth quarter, Missouri allowed just nine yards on 10 plays, not letting up a single first down.

“I'm really proud of the way they play defense in the second half,” Drinkwitz said.

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers safety Jalen Catalon celebrates in the first quarter against South Carolina. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri defense holding the fort down allowed for the Missouri offense to win by mercilessly running through the South Carolina defense. The Tigers rushed for 99 yards in the fourth quarter alone compared to just one yard for South Carolina.

“In the fourth quarter you got to run the win,” Drinkwitz said. “Ultimately, that's what we were able to do.”

A 16-yard rushing touchdown from Jamal Roberts in the fourth quarter put Missouri up 26-20 early in the fourth quarter. On the day, he rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries. Ahmad Hardy added another 138 yards on 22 carries .

“The one, two punch,” Hardy said of him and Roberts’ performances. “What he can’t do, I can do. What I can’t do, he can do.”

READ: 'It's Every Week Now:' Ahmad Hardy Sustains Success for Mizzou

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy rushes in the fourth quarter against South Carolina. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Leading the way for Hardy and Roberts on the left side was redshirt junior Jayven Richardson, filling in for preseason all-american Cayden Green, who suffered an injury in practice late in the week.

Green, sporting a walking boot, spoke to the team ahead of the game.

“‘Hold it down. I'll be back soon,’” Drinkwitz recalled of Green’s message to the team.

The whole team held it down, but especially Richardson at Green’s usual spot.

“I was really, really proud of his performance tonight,” Drinkwitz said. “We had a lot of big runs to his side.”

It was the first start of Richardson’s career since transferring from the JUCO level ahead of the 2024 season. He had taken all of the first-team reps at left tackle in spring practices, and through most of fall camp.

Until the last week of practices, when the coaching staff made the “tough decision” to instead slide Green over from guard to tackle. Instead of responding to the demotion with disappointment or anger, Richardson maintained the same mentality.

“He could have pouted,” Drinkwitz said. “What he did was every day he went in to work. … Ultimately, we have a ton of confidence in Jayven Richardson.”

Whether it be Richardson, the defensive secondary or Meyer, Missouri established its identity in its win over South Carolina to open conference play. The resilience the team spends every offseason talking about actually came to life when it needed to most.

“The identity of our team is if things aren't going your way, you can either be disappointed, or you can get back to work,” Drinkwitz said.

Missouri won’t get back into SEC work until three weeks from now, hosting Alabama in Week 7 after a bye week in Week 6. Next week, the Tigers will host UMass.

For the Mayor’s Cup trophy and pride that came with this win, the true test will be if Missouri can continue to respond and improve.

“This can either be a highlight or a launching point for us,” Drinkwitz said. “We can either be satisfied with our ability to win this game, or we can go back to work and launch ourselves into the rest of the SEC.”

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