COLUMBIA, S.C. — As Cody Schrader bounded into the end zone Saturday, the only sound coming from an otherwise silenced and stunned Williams-Brice Stadium was a faint M-I-Z-Z-O-U chant billowing from the southeast corner.
The pocket of Mizzou fans witnessed something their eyes had not seen in years: The Tigers held a double-digit lead over a ranked opponent on the road.
Schrader’s 1-yard plunge early in the second quarter staked Mizzou to a two-touchdown lead over No. 25 and shell-shocked South Carolina, part of a dominant first half for the visiting Tigers at a stadium where third-year coach Eli Drinkwitz has never tasted defeat.
And he still hasn’t.
The Mayor’s Cup is staying in Missouri for another year as Mizzou held on for a 23-10 victory to get back to .500 for the season at 4-4 and 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference.
The Tigers secured their second win over a ranked opponent under Drinkwitz — and the first since his first MU victory over LSU back in 2020. More important, the Tigers kept their postseason hopes alive, needing two more wins in the season’s final month to secure bowl eligibility. Next up, Mizzou hosts Kentucky next Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from Mizzou’s fourth straight win over the Gamecocks.
Mizzou's offense delivers early
Most of the season the Tigers have struggled to strike first and sustain long scoring drives. They checked both boxes on their second possession. Starting at its own 4-yard line, Mizzou matriculated down the field picking up five first downs with only one play longer than 12 yards. Brady Cook connected on five of six passes on the drive for 56 yards, moved the chains twice on third down and soared into the end zone for a 3-yard keeper behind tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp’s block on the edge.
As Mizzou fans continue to clamor for freshman QB Sam Horn, Cook delivered his most impressive drive of the season — and kept it up the rest of the night. In his most complete game as the Tigers’ starter, Cook completed 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards and ran for 53 yards.
Slot receiver Dominic Lovett looked fully recovered from his midseason ankle injury and paced the passing game with 10 catches for 148 yards.
Newly promoted tailback Cody Schrader handled his expanded role like a pro, lugging the ball 22 times for 81 yards . A year ago this week he was powering Division II Truman State’s running game in a victory over Quincy. A year later, he was the consistent offensive force behind Mizzou’s first victory over a nationally ranked team in more than three years.
Mizzou defense dominates — again
If there was any doubt about Mizzou’s one-year makeover on defense, the Tigers proved again they should be considered among the SEC’s best units. Mizzou suffocated South Carolina on each of its first three possessions as Cook outdueled Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler throughout the first half ad the rest of After Harrison Mevis’ 19-yard field goal pushed the Tigers ahead 17-0, Cook had passed and ran for 194 yards of offense — compared to just 37 for the entire Gamecocks’ team.
Rattler salvaged a miserable first half with a late scoring drive, scrambling for a touchdown run to pump some life back into the crowd before halftime. But the momentum did not carry over into the second half. The Tigers engulfed South Carolina’s offensive line on each of the first two series of the third quarter and on the second stripped the ball loose from Rattler as he dove for a first down. Safety Jaylon Carlies forced the fumble and safety Daylan Carnell recovered deep in Gamecock territory.
Mizzou finished the night with 11 tackles for loss and four sacks and held South Carolina to a season-low 203 yards of offense.
The Tigers finished off Rattler with Dreyden Norwood’s interception in the final minutes.
More Harrison Mevis magic
The wild adventures of Harrison Mevis continued Saturday in a series that’s seen some pivotal field goals over the years. Midway through the third quarter, Mevis spoiled a Mizzou takeaway deep in South Carolina territory when he missed a 21-yard field goal on the ensuing series, the shortest miss of his three-year career. Yes, even shorter than the regretful 26-yard miss at the end of regulation at Auburn.
A possession later, though, the Tigers’ offense stalled much closer to midfield and Mevis redeemed himself with a 51-yarder, restoring Mizzou’s two-score lead at 20-10. It was Mevis’ 10th career field goal of 50 yards or longer.
His night wasn’t over. Mevis opened the fourth quarter with a 32-yarder but doinked it off the left upright
South Carolina specializes with special teams but didn’t have any game-changing impact plays that titled momentum in its favor. The Gamecocks only long return was called back on a holding penalty.
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