The Missouri Tigers had survived chaos repeatedly this season.

But there was a little too much to survive Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina as the Tigers dropped a 34-30 game for the Mayor’s Cup, ending the Tigers’ eight-game winning streak in one-score games and five-game winning streak against the Gamecocks.

"Disappointed for our guys that we couldn't find a way to win," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "We had opportunities both in the first half and the second half. Just didn’t execute well enough when we needed to in order to win the game."

The Tigers seemed on the verge of another ridiculous comeback win, scoring 16 unanswered points to take their first lead since the first drive of the game at 22-21 with 9:14 left to play.

But just like last week against Oklahoma, there was a lot of scoring left in the final 10 minutes.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers led an eight-play, 75-yard drive, saved when Sellers stayed up through a sack attempt and found Brady Hunt to keep the drive alive on third-and-10. Sellers then connected with Dalevon Campbell who ran free for a 47-yard gain, another long play in a game the Tigers allowed many of them, setting up a Sellers 5-yard touchdown to Michael Smith with 5:08 left to play.

The Gamecocks seemed to get the two-point conversion, but it was called off for illegal touching, so South Carolina’s lead sat at 27-22.

The Tigers answered with a methodical drive. Nate Noel took four consecutive runs six yards, then a 6-yard pass from Brady Cook, who returned from being listed as doubtful on each injury report this week after missing the Oklahoma game with a wrist injury suffered against Alabama, to Luther Burden to set up third-and-3 at the South Carolina 35.

"Some of the longest weeks of my life," Cook said of the recovery process since being hurt against Alabama. "... I'm blessed to be able to go out there tonight and play the game I love."

The third-down play was blown up as Cook turned away from Noel on a handoff because of a miscommunication.

But on fourth down, Cook lofted a deep pass to Burden, who brought it in for a 37-yard touchdown as he threw off the lone defender between him and the end zone.

It was Burden’s first touchdown since the opening run of the UMass game on Oct. 12, and his first receiving touchdown since catching two against Vanderbilt on Sept. 21. His five games without a receiving touchdown matched a career-long streak from his freshman season.

"I audibled the route to Luther," Cook said. “I saw that the guy covering him was pressed or a little tighter than we wanted so I checked the play. Gave Luther the route that he loves the most. It was man coverage, made a play fourth down and that’s one I’m never going to forget.”

The touchdown and a Jamal Roberts direct-snap two-point conversion run put the Tigers up 30-27 with 1:10 left to play.

But the long pass plays killed the Tiger defense again as Sellers tossed a 39-yard catch-and-run pass to Campbell again, setting up the Gamecocks at the Tiger 21.

Two plays later, Sellers flipped a shovel pass to running back Raheim Sanders, who powered his way through multiple tackle attempts for a 15-yard touchdown. Alex Herrera hit the extra point and South Carolina led by the final margin with 15 seconds to play.

"We just came up short," Drinkwitz said. “Defensively, we just couldn’t get off the field right there on the last drive.”

Missouri’s final drive ended with Cook throwing a desperation pass over the middle that was intercepted by Jalon Kilgore.

Missouri took the lead early in the fourth on a three-play drive highlighted by Cook deep pass to Marquis Johnson, the first deep connection between the two this season after they connected on them a handful of times in the 2023 season.

Noel then ran in a 1-yard touchdown for his first time in the end zone since Week 2, capping off a 150-yard day on 27 carries (5.6 yards per attempt) as he looked fully healthy for the first time since exiting the Homecoming matchup against Auburn on Oct. 19.

With Cook taking snaps after being a game-time decision, the Tigers opened the game with a successful drive, moving down the field and setting up a 38-yard Blake Craig field goal with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.

But South Carolina responded as Sellers connected with Joshua Simon for a 30-yard gain on the first Gamecock play of the game, then hit Gage Larvadain for a 14-yard completion on third down and finally a 26-yard pass to Nyck Harbor for a touchdown with 7:27 left in the first quarter.

Missouri drove down the field again, but the drive stalled in the red zone and the Tigers kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-6 with 2:41 left in the first.

"Ultimately I think that's the difference in the game," Drinkwitz said. "... Our inability to convert third downs in the red zone in the first half is why we were behind. ... If any of those are a touchdown, it's a different game."

Late in the second quarter, Sellers connected with Harbor on a 43-yard pass to set up a 6-yard touchdown to Simon on a run-pass option at the goal line. Herrera’s extra point made it 14-6 South Carolina with 1:57 left before halftime.

The Tigers then went three-and-out and punted back to South Carolina, which immediately got a 29-yard pass from Sellers to Simon, then three plays later Sellers found Jared Brown on a 38-yard touchdown with 39 seconds left before the break.

South Carolina took a 21-6 lead into halftime.

The Tiger defense put together a much better third quarter, starting with a turnover on downs when Missouri forced an incompletion on fourth-and-4.

That set up a 10-play, 61-yard drive, highlighted by four straight plays from freshman Kewan Lacy as the running back burned his redshirt and gained 24 yards to set up a Marcus Carroll 2-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 21-12. It was Carroll’s seventh score of the season.

The Tigers then forced another turnover on downs, stopping a Sellers run on fourth-and-1 at the South Carolina 37.

That set up a 25-yard Craig field goal to start the fourth quarter.

Missouri then forced a punt after getting a three-and-out to set up the Noel touchdown.

Cook completed 21-of-31 passes for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Sellers was 21-of-30 passing for 353 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. The freshman had not thrown more than two touchdowns in a game.

Burden ended with eight catches for 69 yards and a score, Theo Wease had six catches for 86 yards.

Campbell led South Carolina with two catches for 86 yards, while Simon had four catches for 76 yards and a score.

"We'll just take it one game at a time, we've get to get back and regroup, see who's healthy and who's not," Drinkwitz said.

Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) will finish its road schedule with a game at Mississippi State at 3:15 p.m. next Saturday.

"Two weeks left, let's go get nine wins in the regular season, then finished strong and get to 10 in a bowl game," Cook said.

Head on over to the Tiger Walk to discuss the game and so much more.