Mizzou QB Brady Cook on Mindset vs. South Carolina: 'Start Fast, Play Fast'

The Missouri Tigers will need to avoid a sluggish start in order to upset the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.

The Missouri Tigers finally picked up their first SEC win of the season after a 17-14 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. But things only get tougher for Mizzou from here on out, starting with a road matchup Saturday against the No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks.

And in order to avoid falling to 1-4 while allowing themselves a chance at an upset, the Tigers will need to some change on offense to begin the game. Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook is making sure this is an emphasis.

"Go in there and just start fast, play fast," he said. "We just have to start fast just like we did last week. Scoring on that first drive is huge. That gives our defense confidence, it gives us confidence moving into the rest of the game ... I really wanna score the first drive this game."

The Tigers have scored above 20 points just once against Power 5 opponents this season, and it just so happened to come in a 26-22 loss to the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 1.

But Mizzou won't have the hometown fans at its back on Saturday. Cook doesn't think this means changing anything headed into a hostile environment, but it will require a steady-headed team effort on the mental side of things.

"Same routine, handle the environment," he said. "... Don't let the environment slow you down at the start of the game. They're gonna be comfortable on their home field."

The Tigers and Gamecocks kickoff at 4 p.m. ET from Williams-Brice Stadium.

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