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For every Tiger game day this year, we'll get you up to speed before kickoff in Game Day Central. We'll catch you up on all the news of the week, hit on the keys of the game, provide audio and video previews and offer up some predictions. Here is everything you need to know about game against South Carolina.
KICKOFF INFORMATION
TIME: 3:00 p.m. Central
LOCATION: Memorial Stadium (capacity 62,621), Columbia, MO
TV: SEC Network Alternate (Mike Morgan/Ray Bentley/Tera Talmadge)
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network -- Click here for a list of affiliates
POINT SPREAD: Mizzou by 9.5
SERIES: South Carolina leads 5-4
LAST MEETING: South Carolina won 37-35 in 2018
AUDIO PREVIEW
GAME WEEK HEADLINES
A Must win Looms | Following the Future | McCann helps in multiple roles |
Week 4 Depth Chart | Monday Morning Thoughts | Odom's press conference |
Caleb Love goes in depth | Media Day Notebook |
Whiteside silently makes a difference | Scantlebury: Expect the unexpected |
Macdoodle's Mailbag | Mizzou's pass defense: Real or not? |
Stars & Starters: Mizzou vs South Carolina | Shakespeare's Podcast |
Walljasper: What Just Happened? | Inside the Matchups | Enter the Chamber
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUPS
When Missouri has the ball:
South Carolina’s defense has a few big names, but in their two losses, the Gamecocks have struggled on the defensive side of the ball. South Carolina gave up 238 yards rushing to North Carolina, then surrendered 495 passing yards to Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama. The key for Missouri will be stopping defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, a potential first-round draft pick who has tallied three sacks and three tackles for loss already this season. If Missouri can neutralize Kinlaw and establish the run early, Kelly Bryant and the receiving corps should have plenty of favorable matchups against a shaky secondary. ADVANTAGE: Missouri
When South Carolina has the ball
The season-ending injury suffered by senior starting quarterback Jake Bentley may have been a blessing in disguise for South Carolina. True freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski has provided the Gamecock offense a spark. Through two starts, Hilinski has completed 69 percent of his passes for 606 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. South Carolina’s offense racked up 775 yards against Charleston Southern and 459 against Alabama — the most surrendered by the Crimson Tide in a regular season game since 2016. Hilinski has several weapons to choose from. Running backs Rico Dowdle and Tavian Feaster have combined to rush for more than 400 yards, wide receivers Shi Smith and Bryan Edwards have each caught a touchdown this season and tight end Kyle Markway leads all SEC tight ends with 11 receptions. Missouri’s defense as a whole and especially the pass defense has put up impressive numbers against inferior opponents the past two games, but this will be the most revealing test of the season for the unit. ADVANTAGE: Push
KEYS TO A MISSOURI WIN
1. Control the line of scrimmage. On the offensive side of the ball, Missouri needs to match the push of Kinlaw and fellow defensive tackle Zach Pickens. While the Tigers’ front five has been excellent in pass protection this season, we saw the group struggle to create holes in the running game against Wyoming’s defensive front, and Missouri’s offense is designed to run the ball to set up the pass. On the other side of the ball, the Tigers will look to stop the ground attack of Feaster and Dowdle in order to make Hilinski, a true freshman making his first start on the road, beat them with his arm.
2. Pressure Hilinski. If Missouri is able to accomplish the above objective and limit South Carolina’s ground game, it’s time to turn up the heat. Like most true freshmen, Hilinski’s numbers have been far better with a clean pocket than when he is pressured. According to Pro Football Focus, when he has not been under pressure this season, Hilinski has completed 76.1 percent of his passes for 7.7 yards per attempt, four touchdowns and one interception. When he has been hurried, meanwhile, Hilinski’s completion percentage has dropped to 37.5 percent, he’s averaging 3.9 yards per attempt and has thrown no touchdowns and one interception. Missouri’s pass rush has looked better than last season over the past two games; now it’s time to prove if it’s for real.
3. Answer adversity. Missouri has not only blown a two-possession lead in each of the past two meetings between these teams, it has seemingly done so in record time. In 2017, a 10-0 Missouri lead became a 14-10 deficit in just 30 seconds, and South Carolina ran away with the game from there. Last season, Missouri melted when a rainstorm hit and allowed South Carolina to score 17 unanswered points in 4 minutes, 30 seconds. The same issue plagued Missouri in the second quarter against Wyoming this season. South Carolina needs this game too badly to simply roll over like West Virginia and SEMO. The question that may determine the outcome is, when the Gamecocks make a big play or Missouri makes a mistake, how will the Tigers respond?
GAME DAY PROP BETS*
*You cannot actually bet on these and even if you can, we are not encouraging you to do so. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Bryan Edwards 100 yards receiving — Mitchell over, Gabe over
Larry Rountree 100 yards rushing — Mitchell over, Gabe over
Albert Okwuegbunam 1.5 touchdown catches — Mitchell under, Gabe under
Combined punts 7.5 — Mitchell under, Gabe over
Missouri turnovers 2.5 — Mitchell under, Gabe under
POWERMIZZOU PREDICTIONS
Mitchell Forde: This is a game that both teams really need to win. Given the difficulty of South Carolina’s schedule, it’s difficult to envision the Gamecocks reaching bowl eligibility with a loss. A defeat in the first real test since the Wyoming game would squelch any remaining momentum for Missouri. I think, like last season, both teams are going to be able to move the ball, with the deciding factors being red zone offense and turnovers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Missouri wins this game by double-digits, but given the history between these two, I think it’s more likely to come down to the last possession, and the Tigers need to prove to me that they can win that type of game before I feel comfortable picking them. South Carolina 33, Missouri 30
Missouri Player of the Game: Tyler Badie
Gabe DeArmond: I think Missouri is the better team. I think Missouri should win. I will not be surprised if Missouri does win. But this is a classic case of they've got to do it before I predict them to do it. Missouri had chances to win each of the last three years against South Carolina and couldn't figure out a way to get it done. I expect this to be a fourth quarter game. I will be surprised if the separation is more than one score with five minutes to play. And in those spots, Missouri has failed more often than it has succeeded in recent years--especially when the opponent is the Gamecocks. South Carolina 30, Missouri 27
Missouri Player of the Game: Johanthon Johnson
