No. 23 Mizzou falls in heartbreaking fashion in Mayor’s Cup showdown
COLUMBIA, S.C. (KMIZ)
For the first time in five seasons, the Mayor's Cup will reside in Columbia, South Carolina.
The No. 23 Mizzou football team fell just short of a comeback win on the road at No. 21 South Carolina, on Saturday. The Tigers fell 34-30 to the Gamecocks, despite climbing out of a 15-point first half deficit.
With the loss, MU fell to 7-3 on the season and 3-3 in conference play.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company trailed 21-6, heading into the locker room, as offense struggled to find a rhythm in the opening quarters.
Quarterback Brady Cook returned from injuries to both his ankle and wrist to start in the Mayor's Cup matchup, on Saturday. After an up and down first half, the St. Louis native and his offense came out of the locker room swinging, after the break.
The Tigers rang off 15 unanswered points near the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. The first Mizzou touchdown of the game came courtesy of a 10-play, 66-yard drive from Cook, which ended with a two-yard score from running back Marcus Carroll, which put the Tigers down by just nine after a failed two-point conversion.
After that a 25-yard field goal off the leg of kicker Blake Craig to open up the fourth quarter, Cook and company put together another touchdown drive to take their first lead since the opening minutes, 22-21.
However, the Gamecocks hadn't run out of gas on offense just yet. LaNorris Sellers drove 75 yards in a little more than four minutes to regain a lead for his team, 27-22.
But, Tiger fans have learned not to count out the Tigers this season. With less than two minutes to play, Cook dropped back and hit Luther Burden for his first touchdown in five games. That 37-yard score put Drinkwitz and company up three with 1:10 to play.
However, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's unit couldn't muster one more stop for the potential eighth win of the season. Another game-changing drive from Sellers ended up in the end zone, as Raheim 'Rocket' Sanders ended the drive with a tough, 15-yard touchdown run to ultimately win the ball game.
Cook ended the day completing 70 percent of his passes for 237 yards and one touchdown in his big return. His outing did end with a game-ending interception from the Gamecocks.
Both Theo Wease Jr. and Burden had big days in the passing game, with 85 and 69 yards, respectively.
Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore also ran a balanced attack on the ground, as Mizzou rushed for more than 150 yards, led by running back Nate Noel.
Up next - Mizzou will look for its first SEC road win of the season in the team's final road game of the year at Mississippi State. Kickoff is slated for 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 23.
