Halftime: The South Carolina Gamecocks lead the Mizzou Tigers

We have officially hit halftime in this week’s contest between the South Carolina Gamecocks  and the Missouri Tigers. The Gamecocks currently lead the Tigers by a score of 14-9

First Quarter:

The Gamecocks came out with a first down on the first play of the game, but were instantly stuffed on the next three plays and forced to punt. This sequence of events has been a routine for the Gamecocks during this young season. Luckily, despite the Tigers driving down the field early, the Gamecocks were able to get a stop on third down after a forced incompletion.

The next drive for the Gamecocks began with another recurring issue; penalties. Luckily, the Tigers countered with two pass interference penalties that gave the Gamecocks prime field position. The Gamecocks did not cash in on the opportunity however, as LaNorris Sellers was pressured quickly and missed the mark on a pass to Mazeo Bennett Jr., who would have had a walk in touchdown.

Despite a beautiful punt that was downed on the one yard line, the Tigers drove down the field, which was catapulted by a 27 yard rush by standout RB Ahmad Hardy, followed by a 27 yard strike down from Beau Pribula to TE Brett Norfleet, leaving them on the Gamecocks’ 12 yard line. 

Second Quarter:

The Tigers punched it in on the second play of the period after an eight-yard pass to WR Joshua Manning. After missing the PAT, the Tigers took a 6-0 lead.

The Gamecocks came back firing after a short dump off to freshman receiver Brian Rowe Jr. for an 11-yard gain. They continued to drive down the field before encountering an all too familiar first down false start infraction, followed by a tackle for loss, leaving the Gamecocks with a challenging 2nd & 16. However, on a free play on 3rd & long, Sellers threw a perfectly-placed 49-yard touchdown to WR Vandrevius Jacobs, giving the Gamecocks a 7-6 lead with 11:26 left in the half.

The Tigers quickly fought back after another big run for Henry for 14 yards, which left the Gamecocks playing on the heels. On an ensuing 3rd & 3, Pribula completed a short pass to WR Marquis Johnson, who impressively caught the ball with one hand that turned into an 18 yard play, leaving the Gamecocks backed up to their own 22 yard line. The Gamecocks once again bailed out the Tigers again with a costly penalty, being a facemask. Luckily, the Gamecocks were able to bend but not break and held the Tigers to a field, trailing 9-7.

After taking back the field once again, the Gamecocks were stuffed on two plays, as well as another false start leaving the Gamecocks with a challenging 3rd & 13 before Sellers was sacked. To make matters worse, the Gamecocks once again committed another false start while trying to punt. Luckily, the Gamecocks were bailed out by an impressive interception caught by Jalon Kilgore.

Sellers answered the call after completing several passes in a row, with the final being a 24 yard strike to Rowe, giving the Gamecocks a 14-9 lead. After receiving the ball back, the Tigers drove all the way down to the SC four-yard line, but were forced to settle for a field goal, leaving the score at 14-12.

If the Gamecocks want to reclaim this lead and leave with a victory, they’ll have to reduce the amount of penalties. They have surrendered 43 yards on seven penalties, which has taken away great plays as well as put the offense in unfavorable down and distance situations. This has been a story for the Gamecocks all season, as they came into the game as the fourth most penalized team in the SEC. 

The offense has also struggled, accruing only 90 yards prior to the touchdown to Rowe. TThe defense has played well, but will have to stay off the field more if they want to increase their production. If Sellers and the offense get rolling, the Gamecocks will be well on their way to pulling off the upset.

Be sure to keep up with our live updates throughout the rest of the game.