Mizzou Football: Three things to watch in week four against South Carolina
By Cullen Jekel
Saturday afternoon the Mizzou football will look to keep things rolling as they host the South Carolina Gamecocks in their conference opener.
After starting the 2019 season with a surprising defeat on the road against the Wyoming Cowboys, the Missouri Tigers rebounded to pummel the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Southeast Missouri Red Hawks by a combined score of 88-7.
But now conference play begins with a match against a team (and coach) that have had the Tigers’ number the past couple of seasons.
Let’s check into three things for which to watch in this Tigers-Gamecocks game, also known as The Battle of Columbias*.
*It’s actually called the Mayor’s Cup, which, I don’t know. Meh.
Exorcising the South Carolina (& Muschamp) Curse
Alright, maybe curse is too strong of a word to use here, but the Gamecocks have won the last three games against the Tigers.
In 2016, South Carolina won on their home turf 31-21 in a year in which they only averaged 20.8 points per game. The following season, in Columbia, Missouri, the Gamecocks absolutely lit up Mizzou, winning 31-13. And then last season, back in the Palmetto State, South Carolina won a nail-biter, 37-35 in a torrential downpour.
But the worst loss for Missouri against South Carolina came back in 2013. I remember this one vividly as I had just returned from, of all places, South Carolina, where I’d spent a couple of days in Charleston.
In the days leading up to the game, I ventured through downtown Charleston wearing my Mizzou hat and jacket, and came across only friendly fans. Still, I hoped Mizzou kicked some you-know-what.
Yeah, that didn’t happen. In a season in which Mizzou would reach the SEC Championship Game (losing to Auburn) and finish with a great 12-2 record, well, this was one of those two losses, as the Gamecocks prevailed, 27-24.
In the three most recent losses to South Carolina, Will Muschamp has been the head ball coach. While the head coach for the Florida Gators, Muschamp went 2-2 against Missouri. At 5-2 all-time against the Tigers, Muschamp, whose career record is only 51-40, seems to have Missouri’s number.
Time to change the narrative.