With Impressive Upset Win, Missouri Tigers Prove Themselves Viable

Really, there was no reason that anyone should have expected the Missouri Tigers to win on Saturday night at South Carolina. On top of being the only SEC team to defeat Mizzou twice since their 2012 arrival in the conference, the Gamecocks were also the only team to defeat the Tigers during a very successful 2013 regular season.
To make things even more difficult, the Tigers were severely depleted in Columbia, S.C. After an offseason which saw their 2013 receiving corps almost completely disappear, Mizzou was without two of their top three wideouts among their patched-together 2014 group, as Darius White and Jimmie Hunt both sat out with injuries. They were also working with a makeshift offensive line, as a season-ending injury to left guard Anthony Gatti and poor play by right guard Mitch Hall resulted in left tackle Mitch Morse and center Evan Boehm being the only players who remained in the same spot from last week’s loss to Indiana.
Ultimately, though, it didn’t matter, as the Tigers’ spectacular defense played to their full potential and shut down the Gamecocks’ offensive attack, helping Mizzou to a 21-20 win. Breakout star Shane Ray led the attack, as the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder picked up two sacks to pad his SEC lead in the category.
Though South Carolina had a 20-7 lead at one point, Mizzou picked things up when they mattered, and the decimated offense got the job done.

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Running backs Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough combined to create a very powerful rushing attack, as Murphy got the offense down the field with 16 carries for 98 yards, and Hansbrough finished off the job by picking up 10 carries for 43 yards.

Quarterback Maty Mauk’s numbers weren’t great—which was not surprising considering the weapons he had at his disposal—but the passing game came together enough for Mizzou to be productive. Unexpected contributors like Lawrence Lee and Wesley Leftwich stepped up and were able to help Mauk move the ball down the field.

Obviously with the Tigers having lost to Indiana, they can never take any opponent lightly. But next week’s matchup against Georgia and a November 15 battle with Texas A&M are the only two games that Mizzou has left against currently ranked opponents. As the saying goes, every game is a challenge in the SEC, but after last night’s victory, things definitely seem to be in the Tigers’ control as they attempt to win the SEC East and earn another appearance in the SEC Championship Game.