Five Takeaways from the crushing 34-30 loss to South Carolina

Mizzou’s second half explosion wasn’t enough to hold off LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks

Well that one really, really hurt. After not one, but two Brady Cook-thrown deep shots finally connected, leading to go-ahead touchdowns, the Mizzou defense couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain, giving up a devastating 13-yard touchdown to Rocket Sanders with 15 seconds left on the clock to lose. Ouch, that hurt. Well, here are the five takeaways if you’ve girded your loins:

1. Brady Cook gutted it out

After being listed as “doubtful” all week, we woke up to a surprise report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Cook was going to warm up and would be a true game time decision. Well, if we know anything about Cook, if he isn’t dead he’s going to play, and play he did. While he certainly wasn’t 100%, he seemed to move around alright on his bum ankle. The wrist seemed to be the biggest issue, as many of his throws in the first half came up short of the receiver. The second half was a different story as Cook led the Tigers on four scoring drives, including three touchdown drives, to give the Tigers the lead twice. Cook was a warrior and played well enough to beat a top 25 team on the road.

2. The defense couldn’t close it out

After an up-and-down first half and an excellent third quarter, all of which saw four total turnovers (an interception and three turnovers on downs), the defense decided to quit tackling in the fourth quarter. The problems started on a third and long when Johnny Walker, Jr. put an excellent pass rush on Sellers but wasn’t able to bring him to the ground. Sellers made a great pass for a first down. The next play was another long pass play with multiple missed tackles. On the final scoring play, Rocket Sanders caught a shovel pass and bounced around between no less than three different Tiger defenders before careening into the end-zone like a pin ball.

3. First half woes continued

This team has been awful in the first halves of SEC games, especially SEC road games. As Rock M’s Adeen Rao pointed out at halftime today:

Thankfully, the Tigers have been a second-half team all year, especially the last two games. However, it was too little, too late against South Carolina as a 21-6 deficit proved too great to come from behind. Failing to score touchdowns early in the game ultimately doomed the Tigers as they struggled once again to touch pay dirt in the first half for the fifth straight SEC game.

4. Mizzou won both lines of scrimmage

This could be considered a silver lining, but to me it makes this loss all the more frustrating. Mizzou clearly dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Even in the first half, the Tigers ran the ball well and stuffed the South Carolina run. Ultimately, they stuffed the Gamecocks FOUR times on fourth and short (though only three counted.) In the second half, the offensive line absolutely took the Gamecocks’ lunch money, running the ball at will with Nate Noel, who finished with 150 yards. The team as a whole finished with an outstanding 163 yards on the ground against one of the best defensive lines in the country.

5. Losing after an all-time Mizzou play really sucks

Luther Burden III had largely been shut down by the Gamecock defense all night. With 1:22 left in the game, he had seven catches for 32 yards. Then came the fourth and five to go, one-armed basket catch down the sideline, the stop on a dime, and the trot into the end zone to give the Tigers what could have been the game-winning touchdown.

What an incredible play, one that could have lived in Mizzou lore as one of the top plays in program history. Alas.

Well, the loss still stings as bad as it did when I started writing this, but hopefully it took a little of the edge off for you. We’re on to Mississippi State.