@MizzouFootball Looks for Bounce-Back Win Over South Carolina
9/28/2015 12:45:00 PM | Football
| Opponent | Location | Day/Time | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Buy Tickets | Memorial Stadium | Saturday, Oct. 3 11 a.m. | TV: SEC Network |
The Missouri Tigers (3-1 overall, 0-1 in SEC play) return home and will play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2) Saturday at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the the game is set for 11 a.m. (central time), and the game will air live on the SEC Network. Tom Hart, Andre Ware and Laura Rutledge will be on the call.
Mizzou is looking to bounce back from a tough-luck 21-13 loss at Kentucky last Saturday, in a game where the Tigers didn't trail until the 1:58 mark of the 3rd quarter. Mizzou took a 7-0 lead late in the 1st on a Maty Mauk-to-J'Mon Moore touchdown pass, and held a 10-7 lead until the Wildcats scored consecutive TDs in the second half to take a 21-10 lead. Mauk led a drive to pull to within one score at 21-13 on an Andrew Baggett 24-yard field goal with 3:00 left to play, but the UK offense was able to kill the clock on its ensuing possession, and deny the Tigers one last chance to send the game into overtime.
South Carolina comes into Saturday's matchup fresh off of a 31-14 home win over UCF. Carolina trailed 14-8 at halftime, but used a dominant second half performance, as they outscored UCF 23-0 after intermission to pull away for the win. The victory broke a brief two-game losing skid by the Gamecocks, after they had lost consecutive games to Kentucky on Sept. 12th (L, 26-22 at home) and at Georgia on Sept. 19th (L, 52-20). Carolina opened the 2015 season with a 17-13 neutral-site win over North Carolina.
TIGERS LOOKING FOR BOUNCE BACK WIN
Mizzou has done a lot of winning under Head Coach Gary Pinkel of late, and along with that, fortunately hasn't had to deal with a lot of rebounding from defeats. However, when the Tigers have stubbed their toes, they've shown a nice propensity for bouncing back and not letting one loss be the start of a losing streak. The Tigers have won their last five games coming off of a defeat, dating back to 2013. Here's a quick look at the current trend:
| Date | Loss to | Next Game |
| 10/26/13 | vs. South Carolina (27-24, 2 OT) | vs. Tennessee (W, 31-3 - 11/2/13) |
| 12/17/13 | vs. Auburn (59-42) | vs. Oklahoma State (W, 41-31 - 1/3/14) |
| 9/20/14 | vs. Indiana (31-27) | at South Carolina (W, 21-20 - 9/27/14) |
| 10/11/14 | vs. Georgia (35-0) | at Florida (W, 42-13 - 10/18/14) |
| 12/6/14 | vs. Alabama (42-13) | vs. Minnesota (W, 33-17 - 1/1/15) |
HONORING THE PAST
- This weekend will celebrate a 50-year reunion of the 1965 Mizzou team coached by Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine – a team that went 8-2-1 overall, and won the 1966 Sugar Bowl by a 20-18 score over Florida and QB Steve Spurrier (who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy the following season). Over 25 members of the team are scheduled to return to Mizzou for a celebration, which will include a Friday-evening mixer and an on-field recognition at Saturday's game against South Carolina. Of course, it just so happens that Spurrier will be on the sidelines this weekend coaching for South Carolina!
- The 1965 team began the season unranked, and didn't crack the national rankings until November. Devine's team finished strong, however, winning its final four games (including the bowl win), and ended the year ranked 6th in both the AP and UPI polls.
- In the Sugar Bowl win, Mizzou jumped out to a commanding 17-0 halftime lead, and carried a 20-0 lead into the fourth quarter, before Spurrier rallied the Gators back with a pair of TD passes and a TD run of his own. But each time the Gators scored they went for two points, and Mizzou's defense, which ranked 8th nationally that season in fewest points allowed, stopped Spurrier and company to hold off the comeback attempt. Mizzou rushed for 257 yards, behind 120 yards from Charlie Brown and 76 more from QB Gary Lane. Brown opened scoring on a 10-yard run in the 2nd quarter, and the Tigers extended their lead on an 11-yard halfback option pass from Johnny Roland to Earl Denny, followed by a pair of field goals from PK Bill Bates.
