Instant Takeaways From Mizzou's Climactic Loss to South Carolina

After back and forth offense down the stretch, the Missouri Tigers took their third loss of the season.

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) hands off to running back Nate Noel (8) against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

For the third time on the road this season, the Missouri Tigers were unable to secure a win.

Missouri fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks 34-30 after a climactic ending, as quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw a 15-yard passing touchdown to running back Raheim Sanders with 15 seconds remaining in the game.

Quarterback Brady Cook previously hit receiver Luther Burden III down the field for a 37-yard touchdown at the 1:10 mark of the fourth quarter, but the one-handed catch was quickly made irrelevant by the South Carolina offense.

The loss brings the Tigers to a 7-3 record (3-3 in the SEC). Despite their best efforts to make a comeback late in the game, the poor finish to the second half built a hole too large to climb out of.

Nate Noel Bounces Back

Running back Nate Noel hadn't found the same level of production that he had before foot injuries emerged ahead of Week 6's matchup against UMass.

Today, that changed. Noel led the run game with 150 rushing yards on 27 attempts, his longest being a 23-yard breakaway to the right at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter. Cook struggled to find some stability until the fourth quarter of his return game, finishing with 237 passing yards on 21-of-31 pass completions and a touchdown.

Missouri had to put an emphasis on the run game to extend drives and get into field goal opportunities, and Noel rose to the occasion behind a great day from the offensive line. Running backs Kewan Lacy and Marcus Carroll only carried the ball three and two times respectively.

Noel punched in a 1-yard touchdown at the 9:12 mark of the fourth quarter that helped the Tigers gain a 22-21 lead at a pivotal point in the game. He would've had a touchdown at the very start of the fourth quarter, but a clock error from the South Carolina coaching staff caused the score to be taken back.

Although it ultimately wasn't enough, Noel was the sole consistent factor in the offense.

Secondary Struggles

The secondary has been an area of the Missouri defense that's struggled in past weeks, and against South Carolina, it didn't take them long to creep back up.

The Gamecocks jumped up to a 21-6 lead in the first half, as Sellers held 209 passing yards and three touchdowns. He hit receiver Nyck Harbor with a 26-yard touchdown at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter, along with a 38-yard touchdown to receiver Jared Brown with 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The common theme between both scores? The secondary was exposed.

Whether it be miscommunications on the field or a lack of preparation, the Tigers continuously allowed big gains of yardage from the South Carolina offense. On the Harbor touchdown, a mix-up between cornerback Dreyden Norwood and safety Marvin Burks Jr. caused him to get as open as he did.

Whenever Sellers looked to pass, most of the time he was successful. The defensive line and linebackers were able to prevent the Gamecocks from getting much in the run game for most of the contest, but the secondary failed to hold up its own in the — even down the stretch in the clinching drive.

Management in Second Quarter

At the two-minute timeout in the second quarter, Missouri only trailed 7-6 to the Gamecocks.

That score proceeded to get much larger.

Coming out of the timeout, Sellers hit up receiver Joshua Simon up the middle of the field for a six-yard touchdown at the 1:57 mark. Simon was left with zero coverage in the end zone, giving South Carolina an easy opportunity to make it 14-6.

With the ball back in their hands, it would've been expected that the Tigers would try to extend the drive until the end of the half and at least get into field goal range. However, they instead went three-and-out in 24 seconds.

Noel gained six yards on two snaps, and quarterback Brady Cook hit receiver Theo Wease Jr. for just one yard, giving it up at 4th and 3 positioning. Instead of continuing to run the ball or hit a receiver that was in a spot to secure a first down, a short pass gave the Gamecocks another opportunity to score with 1:33 remaining.

In less than a minute, the aforementioned 38-yard touchdown pass to Brown put South Carolina up 21-6. Sellers completely dismantled Missouri's secondary, but still left 39 seconds on the clock for Cook and the offense to make something happen.

Well, it didn't quite. Despite the ample time and three timeouts available, the Tigers couldn't get into field goal range. A short pass completion to receiver Mekhi Miller could've gave kicker Blake Craig another opportunity to score, but it was overturned and ruled as an incomplete pass.

In one of the most crucial portions of the game, Missouri failed to manage it properly. It allowed multiple scores in two minutes, while failing to utilize its opportunities on offense to keep a two-score lead from happening.