Upon Further Review: Mizzou 29, South Carolina 20

What we learned about the Tigers in their victory over South Carolina.

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

The Mayors Cup is back in Columbia, Missouri, after the Tigers took down the South Carolina Gamecocks in 29-20 fashion. The Tigers remained undefeated following the win.

It took a lot for Missouri to keep their home winning streak alive, despite a comfortable nine-point winning margin. Gamecock quarterback LaNorris Sellers did everything he possibly could to make sure the Tigers didn't win.

Luckily, head coach Eli Drinkwitz has one of the best running backs in the country, who was going to make sure they walked away victorious. Ahmad Hardy posted another impressive performance, finishing with 138 yards and a touchdown. He was a huge reason for the final result.

"We just kept hammering away and ultimately, at halftime, I told our guys, if we will just sure up the boots and we'll continue to run the ball, we'll win the game, because in the fourth quarter you got to run to win," Drinkwitz said following the win.

The offense was clicking in multiple areas, with quarterback Beau Pribula succeeding in the air and on the ground. He consistently connected with wide receivers Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning as well in order to spread out targets.

On defense, Missouri's pass-rush garnered plenty of attention, recording five sacks and multiple pressures. At the same time, the secondary struggled at many moments that helped keep the Gamecocks alive.

"Not getting negative, but that crap's gotta get corrected," Drinkwitz said. "We gave up 293 yards (of total offense), and 300 of it was passing. 302 passing yards"

Now sitting at 4-0 on the season, here's a second look and final review of how the Tigers fared against South Carolina in Week 4.

Player of the Game: It's looking very possible that Hardy could find himself in this spot every single week. It's hard to dispute him doing so in Week 4, based on his rushing total and lone touchdown.

The one touchdown he did score was fairly indicative of the type of player he is. It's inexplicable how he didn't go down, and even more confusing that he scored. But he did, so it doesn't really matter.

Mizzou has a CHEAT CODE named AHMAD HARDY pic.twitter.com/9XUkR2Ujbd

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 21, 2025

He broke too many tackles to count and really made the South Carolina defense look silly. He's up to 600 total rushing yards on the season, sitting second in the nation. He's very close to establishing himself as one of, if not the best, running backs in the SEC, too.

Play of the Game: Hardy's ridiculous touchdown may have been the most visually appealing play of the game, but Robert Meyer's 40-yard field goal showed guts, confidence and determination that needed to be shown in that moment.

Plenty of questions have swirled about Meyer's ability to make anything inside 30 yards. He still may need to prove some people wrong, but this one to seal the deal against South Carolina is certainly a step in the right direction.

10 things you may not have noticed...

1. Beau's 72 rushing yards

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula hands off the ball in the first quarter against South Carolina. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Sneaikly, this was Pribula's best game running the football so far. It made a huge difference at multiple moments in the game, especially when South Carolina's secondary was locking down Pribula's targets.

Most of his 72 rushing yards were from extended plays, but a few quarterback draws were called to give Pribula the chance to make something happen. For the most part, it was him taking advantage of what the defense showed him.

"They did a pretty good job with coverage downfield and there were some open lanes tonight," Pribula said following the win. "So anytime I can, take that, you got to take it."

2. Jayven Richardson was quiet, which is good

Sept 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers left tackle Jayven Richardson lines up in the first quarter against South Carolina. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Richardson did his job and did it well on Saturday. He didn't allow a single sack and minimized the damage that Bryan Thomas Jr. could do. All things considered, this was a spectacular starting debut for Richardson in a situation that easily could have gone haywire.

It was clear that Drinkwitz, offensive line coach Brandon Jones and the rest of the coaching staff knew Richardson was ready for the moment.

"We have a ton of confidence in Jayven Richardson because he's a great young man who works hard," Drinkwitz said. "When his moment showed up, he was there for the brotherhood, and that's what this thing (is) built on."

He especially excelled in run protection. Blocking for Hardy and Jamal Roberts doesn't exactly have to be rocket science because they can do so much themselves, but he and left guard Dominick Giudice made some lovely gaps for the two to dash through.

At the same time, the Gamecocks didn't record a single sack and created only two quarterback hurries. His pass-protection may not have been perfect,

3. No score on first offensive drive

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) hands off to running back Ahmad Hardy (29) against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

For the first time this season, the Tigers did not score on their opening offensive drive of the game. It's not the end of the world and they executed it how they likely wanted to, but it didn't result in any points.

This was absolutely because of the South Carolina secondary and primarily the cornerback Jalon Kilgore. He had two breakups on the first drive alone, preventing one very potentially- ovely catch from freshman Donovan Olugbode.

This is of note for one main reason: the Tigers have scored to open the game all season long to date. This could have been a moment where Kirby Moore freaked out and the offense lost confidence, but they came right back and did what needed to be done.

4. Faurot Field was Loud

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; The Missouri Tigers mascot Truman celebrates with fans against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

This has to be the full-force homefield advantage that Drinkwitz was looking for following the win over the Kansas Jayhawks. Faurot Field was so loud and it did have a real impact on the game.

The Gamecocks committed six false start penalties at different points in the game. Head coach Shane Beamer also was forced to waste a timeout early in the second quarter. The inexperience of the offensive line made some of those mistakes, but the noise from the crowd didn't help.

5. Right side blitzes were scary

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive tackle Chris McClellan (7) celebrates against the South Carolina Gamecocks after a sack during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The right side of Missouri's defensive line simply embarrassed Josiah Thompson, Shedrick Sarratt Jr. and Tree Babalade on Saturday. It didn't matter who it was, though Zion Young was the most typical culprit, getting to the backfield off that side.

Injuries and experience played a role in this, but Young, Darris Smith, Sterling Webb and a plethora of linebackers, including Josiah Trotter, had a field day while blitzing on this side. It was a well put together plan by defensive coordinator Corey Batoon to attack that side once he realized it was showing weakness.

6. Mizzou's corners are handsy

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs (19) catches a pass for a touchdown as Missouri Tigers cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. (2) attempts the tackle during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Toriano Pride Jr. and Stephen Hall were both charged with pass interference calls against the Gamecocks and there was no disputing that they were the right calls. Drinkwitz cited secondary issues as something frustrating him following the win and their over-physicality certainly fits into that category.

Hall was called for a grabbing penalty in coverage earlier in the season. He's been solid in man coverage generally, but this penalty was indicative of the performance the cornerback room as a whole had on Saturday.

7. Safety miscommunication

Sep 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive back Trajen Greco (21) smiles as he walks off the field after a win over the Buffalo Bulls at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Another thing that clearly went wrong in the secondary was the communication of the backline safeties. On a play that was nearly the first score of the game, Jalen Catalon and Trajen Greco looked lost and rolled to the right. Sellers just barely missed Mazeo Bennett on what would have been a monster touchdown to open the game.

Bennett was so wide open that he probably wasn't ready to catch that pass. Regardless, his level of wide-openness should be viewed as unacceptable, especially from a veteran like Catalon.

"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."

8. Beau needs to slide

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) runs the ball and is tackled by South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back David Bucey (13) during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It might sound silly and unimportant, but Pribula didn't efficiently slide once against the Gamecocks. He does a dive that puts his helmet area at risk when he attempts to slide, which almost resulted badly once.

South Carolina safety David Bucey nearly took Pribula's head off while attempting to tackle him after a nice chunk run. It was reviewed for a targeting called, but wasn't because Pribula didn't engage in a full sliding motion. That cost them some yards, but it could have been much worse on the injury front.

9. Meyer's missed PAT. Yikes.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers kicker Robert Meyer (88) smiles after a made extra point in the second half of the Border Showdown against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Meyer was the saving grace for the Tigers and simultaneously made his longest field goal ever through these first four games.

That being said, his missed extra point in the second quarter didn't show much grace to the right field goal post, while also costing the Tigers a potentially impactful point. his made field goal later in the game could have been a confidence booster and he didn't miss anything after that, but that doesn't change the fact that the miss wasn't good.

"Some people say they don't talk to the kickers, but you know, Robbie (Meyer), I don't think it would matter either way, so I figured I'd at least make myself feel better," Drinkwitz said.

10. Mizzou stays ready for mobile quarterbacks

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) is sacked by Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) while throwing during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It feels like Drinkwitz is asked every week about defending a mobile quarterback. That was the case again this week. Evidently, it didn't really matter because Sellers didn't really do anything on the ground and the Missouri defense was all over it.

The way that Missouri pressured Sellers didn't ever allow him to escape the pocket. If he did, which didn't happen often, there was always a linebacker there to meet him or push him toward the sideline.

"We're giving up way too many points in yards, but we're doing a great job pressuring them and doing a good job stuffing the running, but we can't give up 300 yards passing," Drinkwitz said. "That's the thing that's disappointing."

The tackling angles of the Tigers while trying to limit Sellers also worked well. Even the defensive backs, who struggled at times in stopping the passing game, managed to make an impact when it came to stopping Sellers on the ground.