COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 23 South Carolina scored with 15 seconds remaining to fend off a second-half surge by No. 24 Missouri and secure a 34-30 victory Saturday afternoon at Williams-Brice Stadium.
In a game that featured five lead changes, the Tigers (7-3, 3-3 SEC) scored 24 second-half points, and took a 30-27 lead with 1:10 to play when quarterback Brady Cook connected with a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Luther Burden III and running back Jamal Roberts took a direct snap and ran in for a two-point conversion.
But quarterback LaNorris Sellers rallied the Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3), hitting Dalevon Campbell with a 39-yard crossing pass over the middle down to the MU 21-yard line moments before he found Raheim Sanders on a shovel pass and the running back bounced off three tackles for a 15-yard touchdown with 15 seconds to play. Sellers completed 21-of-30 passes for 353 yards with five touchdowns and one interception to help South Carolina claim the Mayor’s Cup for the first time in six years.
In his return from injury, Cook completed 21-of-31 passes for 237 yards and finished with one touchdown and one interception on the Tigers’ last possession of the game. Burden III had eight receptions for 69 yards, shifting him to sixth place in school history with 184 career receptions and into the top 10 with 2,170 career receiving yards.
Missouri trailed 21-6 at halftime, having allowed two touchdowns in the final 1:57 of the first half before mounting a comeback. The Tigers scored once in the third quarter and early in the fourth frame after stopping South Carolina on fourth-down tries. The first came on the Gamecocks first possession, when defensive tackle Kristian Williams pressured Sellers into an incomplete pass. The Tigers then drove 66 yards in 10 plays and running back Marcus Carroll scored on a two-yard run. Cook was stopped just short on a two-point conversion run.
Then, linebackers Triston Newson and Corey Flagg Jr. combined to stuff Sellers on a fourth-down sneak at the MU 39-yard line, and Cook moved the Tigers into position for Blake Craig to kick a 25-yard field goal that closed the margin to 21-15.
The Tigers forced the Gamecocks to punt and Cook hit wide receiver Marquis Johnson with a 49-yard pass down the middle to the USC eight-yard line. That led to a one-yard touchdown run by Nate Noel, who ran 27 times for 150 yards, and Craig’s extra point gave the Tigers a 22-21 lead.
USC retook the lead with 5:04 to play on a five-yard pass from Sellers to Michael Smith. A two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Gamecocks led, 27-22. On the drive, USC converted a third-and-10 when Sellers ran out of a sack by Johnny Walker Jr. and found Brady Hunt for a 11-yard gain. Then, Sellers connected with Campbell for a 47-yard catch-and-run down to the seven-yard line, before the touchdown pass.
UP NEXT
The Tigers travel again next week for a matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, November 23. Official kick at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, is 3:15 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
