'Just Didn't Have Enough': Mizzou Let South Carolina Out of Its Grasp in Week 12 Loss

After scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 70 seconds left, the Missouri Tigers failed to seal the deal against South Carolina.

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Jared Brown (14) makes a 38-yard reception against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Eli Drinkwitz ran his hands through his hair and took a sip of his Diet Coke before delivering his short and simple autopsy: "Disappointed that we wasted that."

Still processing what had happened in the final 90 seconds of play, it was almost surprising Drinkwitz's No. 23 Missouri Tigers simply couldn't find one last rabbit in their hat against No. 21 South Carolina.

After winning it's last eight one-score games, Missouri fell 34-30 to South Carolina on the road.

"I just think there's a relentlessness that our team plays with and believes in," Drinkwitz said. "Just didn't have enough tonight."

Saturday's cause of death for the Tigers involved the same chaotic swings all of its SEC wins have been built on. With four lead changes in the final 10 minutes, Missouri couldn't find one last defensive stop.

The Tigers scored a go-ahead touchdown with 70 seconds remaining with a 37-yard lob from quarterback Brady Cook to Luther Burden III on fourth-and-six. With the game on the line, Cook saw the South Carolina defense show man coverage and audibled to the route Burden "loves the most."

"That's one I'm never going to forget," Cook said. "I know he won't either."

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) celebrates a touchdowns in the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

For all the crucial plays the Missouri offense was able to make, South Carolina had just a few more up its sleeves.

"It's never over in college football," Cook said.

Less than 40 seconds of play after Burden's touchdown, South Carolina wide receiver Dalevon Campbell was racing down the sideline for a 39-yard gain. He caught it only 13 yards past the line of scrimmage but had plenty of green grass ahead of him over the middle of the field.

Two plays later, quarterback LaNorris Sellers completed a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Rahiem Sanders to take a 34-30 lead for South Carolina with 15 seconds remaining. Four different Missouri defenders attempted and failed to bring down the tough runner.

For the Missouri defense, the same issues it struggled with for all four quarters is what plauged the unit on the most important drive.

"Missed tackles on defense and give up too many plays," defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. said was the deciding factor in the loss. "They [the offense] did their jobs, we [the defense] didn't do ours."

Missouri was battling against itself through all four quarters. The Tigers' issues defensively were evident on the first two drives of the game and reared its ugly head on the final two.

The first time Missouri's defense hit the field, Sellers picked the units apart with seamless completions 30 and 14, before rounding out the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass with no defender within five yards of wide receiver Nyck Harbor.

Missouri adjusted in many ways throughout the loss, but failed to in the defensive secondary. After the Missouri offense took a 22-21 lead with 9:12 in the fourth quarter, South Carolina put together a eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The drive was extended on the fifth play of the drive after Sellers escaped a potential sack from Walker on a third-and-10.

"Just got to finish on plays," Walker said of the missed sack. "Big time players make big time plays. I gotta make that play."

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) scrambles against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Early on though, the Missouri defense had created opportunities that the offense failed to capitalize on.

After Missouri's defense forced a turnover on downs on the first drive of the second half, its offense followed it up by failing to move the ball more than six yards in four plays.

The next drive, the Missouri defense snagged an interception from Sellers, putting its offense 29 yards away from the end zone. After two incompletions, an eight-yard sack and a missed field goal, the turnover resulted in zero points.

After scoring field goals on its first two drives of the game, Missouri's final four drives of the second half averaged 4.75 plays and six yards. The two field goal drives ended with incompletions on third downs in the red zone.

"Our inability to convert third downs in the red zone in the first half was why we were behind," Drinkwitz said. "Ultimately, the difference in the score. Any of those are touchdowns, it's a different game."

At the two-minute timeout, however, Missouri only trailed 6-7. With South Carolina scoring a passing touchdown out of the timeout, followed up by Missouri punting 24 seconds later, the Gamecocks travelled 70 yards in 47 seconds to make it 20-7 ahead of half.

Though Cook was dejected from the swing ahead of halftime, he was confident the team would make the right adjustments at the start of the next half.

"Our energy was there," Cook said. "We came in and it was not flat in here. I tell you that, I'd say the team picked me up. I was always even feeling a little flat coming out at halftime and immediately I realized, the energy's up. We're in a good spot."

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

Missouri scored on each of its first four drives in the second half and forced two turnover on downs and a punt from South Carolina on its first three defensive drives. But not showing up in the first half, or playing a full quarter of complimentary football, doomed the Tigers.

Missouri's playoff hopes were merely a flicker entering Saturday but those hopes were fully snuffed in the Week 12 loss. But it doesn't take away what was another impressive battle from Missouri.

"Don't hang your heads," Drinkwitz said of the message he gave to his team. "This is college football on the road versus a ranked team. Gave yourself a chance to win. You didn't get it done. We got two games left to go finish."