Photo Gallery: The Best Pictures From Mizzou’s Win Over South Carolina

COLUMBIA, Mo. — In a battle of Columbia versus Columbia, the Missouri Tigers took home the Mayor's cup.

With the fourth quarter theatrics, the Tigers took a late lead to beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 29-20 for their Southeastern Conference opener at home. Missouri put up three touchdowns and three field goals for the victory.

"Really, really proud of our team," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in the post game conference following the win. "That was a heck of a battle tonight. I thought coach (Shane) Beamer really had his team prepared. You can tell they were ticked off at last week's performance, and (they) came in and fought. Really proud of our team, not really flinching."

Missouri On SI's photographers spent their evening at Faurot to share their favorite photos from Week 4. Check out some of the on-site pictures from the game below.

Sam Simon

1. Snagged

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A Missouri Tigers Player catches a pass with one hand during warm ups | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Though the distance makes it hard to identify who is in the photo, I like this because it is a new angle for me to try and continue to shoot from. Since it was warm, I wasn't quite ready to leave the air conditioning but since these turned out great, I will make sure to get more shots from this angle.

2. Late Night Cool Down

Truman the Tiger sprays the student section. — Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri mascot Truman the Tiger sprays the student section with a hose to keep energy high. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

I enjoy this picture because the water droplets fill the entire screen. You can also see the student section getting excited as the water hits them, keeping them loud during the close game.

3. Sweet Victory

Missouri Tigers players pose with the Mayor's Cup trophy — Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers Linebacker Triston Newson (14), Safety Marvin Burks Jr., and Linebacker Jeremiah Beasley pose with the Mayor's Cup trophy after securing the win. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

As a shorter person navigating around a crowd of photographers, I have learned to adapt to get the shots I want. I needed to get a bit lower so I could avoid people running around — any shot with the trophy was going to be way more crowded than others — and still get the trophy and the players in the shot.

4. School Spirit

Dennis Gates interacts with Mizzou student section — Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Men's Basketball head coach Dennis Gates interacts with the student section ahead of the game. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

I was happy to catch this moment this weekend as I had missed it in previous games. I stood back far enough so I would be able to keep both the fans and Dennis in the frame.

5. Big Touchdown Energy

Joshua Manning celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown. — Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers Wide Receiver Josh Manning celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Usually, helmets block the faces and all emotion of the player in the picture. Seeing this picture in focus, with the ball, and with a clear view of his face made it easy for me to select this as one of my top pictures of the game.

Amber Winkler

6. Ride in Style

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A Missouri Tigers cheerleader participate in Tiger walk at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

I don't often find that photos from Tiger walk stand out much to me, but I thought this photo was really interesting. I think the contrast really helps with the photo and the clouds look really cool.

7. One Way to Celebrate

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young celebrates a sack of South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the third quarter at Faurot Field. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

I usually sit in the end zones when I take my photos, but I was wandering around to find a new spot. I stopped for a minute and got a picture of defensive end Zion Young sacking South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The celebration stood out to me more than the sack, however.

8. Trophy is Home

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson celebrates with the trophy after the Tiger's win over South Carolina. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

I find it interesting how wide receiver Marquis Johnson dominates the amount of time spent with the trophies. He held onto the Mayor's Cup and the drum after the Kansas game for the most amount of time. He ran everywhere with it.

9. Game Time

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson exits the locker room ahead of the Missouri Tigers Week 4 matchup against South Carolina. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

I've seen a lot of photos of visor reflections, but have very few of my own. This photo came shortly before the game when the players were taking the feld for practice.

10. The Mayor's Cup

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers players hold up the Mayor's Cup after the Tiger's win over South Carolina. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

The Skycam looks a little weird in this, but I know they have to get their shot too. I like how reflective the trophy is in this photo and you can kind of see the fans.