The Missouri Tigers rolled into Williams-Brice Stadium looking to make a statement and get a signature win with the odds of accomplishing both in their favor. After all, the Gamecocks, coming off of a stinging 24-10 loss to Kentucky in Lexington last week, were without injured starting quarterback Jake Bentley and had to turn to backup QB Michael Scarnecchia. Meanwhile, the Tigers, coming off of their bye week, were well rested, confident and set to unleash returning All-SEC First Team signal caller Drew Lock, just a few yards shy of surpassing the 10,000-yard mark for his career, on a vulnerable South Carolina defense.
By game's end, which featured a lengthy delay due to lightening and storm cells in the area, the Gamecocks had flipped the script and Missouri's prospects for a winning season with a gift wrapped 37-35 victory. Christmas came early. The Tigers' cast of no-shows cast serious doubt now for a successful season with performances that will make for college football's version of a "Nightmare on Elm Street" with this week's scheduled trek to Tuscaloosa to take on number one Alabama. "We gave it to them", said running back Larry Rountree III. "We made a lot of mistakes before even the fourth or third quarters that kept them in the game."
Mistakes like coming away with no points, or field goals instead of touchdowns on the many occasions the Tigers ventured in the red zone or scoring no points in the decisive third quarter when South Carolina scored 17. Offensive coordinator Derek Dooley called a lame game which contributed to Missouri's lack of scoring.
Lock completed only 17 of 36 passes for a pedestrian 204 yards, 2 interceptions that included a very costly, game-changing pick-6 and most telling - no touchdowns though he didn't need any the way his stable of running backs were running roughshod over the South Carolina defense.
Damarea Crockett rolled up 154 yards on 20 carries (7.7 avg), Rountree 90 yards on 13 carries (6.9 avg) to go with 2 touchdowns and freshman Tyler Badie 45 yards on 6 carries (7.5 avg) which further brought into question Dooley's play calling, especially in the red zone when touchdowns would have given the Tigers an insurmountable lead. His counterpart's stats looked a lot like Locks typical line - 20 of 35 for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. Gamecocks offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon certainly had a better night of play calling, taking advantage of Missouri's very poor coverage skills with a variety of screens and short passes that led to huge gains.
Tucker McCann was "money", missing only a 25-yard chip shot while nailing boots from 32, 22, 44, 42 and 57 yards out. If your placekicker hits a 57-yard field goal with 1:18 left in the game, you ought to win. You've got to win, but you didn't. Instead, you handed the victory to South Carolina in the other Columbia. The defense again was atrocious. They couldn't get out of their own way or get stops throughout the game, particularly in the final 1:18, allowing Gamecock receivers way too much cushion, displayed poor tackling techniques, took costly penalties and couldn't pressure Scarnecchia. It's the one area that's supposed to be the staple of head coach Barry Odom, the one unit he hangs his hat on and has entrusted to defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, his "guy" whom he promoted to the position.
Whether it's a lack of play makers, pressures, turnovers, blitz packages or blown coverages at critical moments in the game, there's been no shortage of embarrassing moments. Athletic Director Jim Sterk has been waiting patiently in the wings to see if the football program is going to make any significant progress, have any significant amount of success under Odom that will warrant his continuing in the capacity of head coach. The loss to South Carolina was inexcusable on a number of fronts, with breakdowns, breakups and poor play calling coming from the headsets as well as poor execution on both sides of the ball that proved costly on the field and ultimately, on the scoreboard.
Could it prove costly as well in terms of job security? Missouri has talent but it hasn't been developed, hasn't been coached up to compete at an SEC level, well, any level for that matter. That's Odom's responsibility. Remember, Sterk has suites in the South End Zone project that's under construction for 2019 to sell and winning helps accomplish that. He and his staff are attempting to get MU's budget out of the "red" and into the "black" for years to come. How much longer can he afford to wait, how many more embarrassing losses can he afford to take before he opts for a change? I, for one, wouldn't be taken by surprise if Odom was fired should the Tigers, 29.5 point underdogs by Vegasinsider's account, get trounced in Tuscaloosa by 40 or more. Sterk may see the need to change as a potential season-saving measure.
It's a forgone conclusion that the Tigers will lose to the Crimson Tide. Halloween waiting to happen on prime time TV. Their play or lack thereof, play calling or lack thereof, and execution or lack thereof, will dictate the margin and may directly impact the coaching staff's futures. It will take a 6-0 run with vastly improved performances on players' and coaches' parts alike to salvage a once promising forecast for success. The cast of no-shows in the critical, program defining loss to South Carolina casts serious doubts now for Missouri. The Tigers didn't acquit themselves well at all on SC soil. Will they get exposed even more, rolled by the Tide and just quit? There's still much to be accomplished but much about the cast of no-shows in uniforms or coaches' apparel has to change in order to achieve this year's goals. Meantime, Mizzou has lost tons of credibility. Ouch!
