Gamecocks Travel to Mizzou with the Mayor's Cup on the Line Saturday
A complete version of South Carolina’s official game notes for the Sept. 20 contest at Missouri can be found here.
QUICKLY: The No. RV/24 South Carolina Gamecocks (2-1, 0-1 SEC) travel for the second time in four weeks and have their first true road test of the season when they visit Memorial Stadium and Faurot Field (57,321) in Columbia, Mo. for an SEC battle with the No. 23/22 Missouri Tigers (3-0, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday, Sept. 20. Game time is set for 7 pm. Conversely, Missouri doesn’t play away from their friendly confines for another month, Oct. 18 at Auburn to be exact, after opening the season with six-straight home games.
OVER THE AIRWAVES: This week’s game will be televised on ESPN with Dave Pasch handling the play-by-play and Dusty Dvoracek providing the color commentary. Taylor McGregor will work the sidelines. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock Hall of Fame quarterbacks in play-by-play voice Todd Ellis (34th season) and analyst Tommy Suggs (53rd season). Chet Tucker returns for his third year as the sideline reporter.
TROPHY HUNTING: The winner of the South Carolina – Missouri football contest takes possession of the Mayor’s Cup, a trophy that goes to the winning team of the two SEC schools that call Columbia home. The Mayor’s Cup is one of three “trophy games” for South Carolina this season. They will battle Texas A&M for the Bonham Trophy in College Station on Nov. 15 and wrap up the regular season with the Palmetto Bowl trophy on the line when they host Clemson. South Carolina captured all three trophies in 2025 for the first time in school history.
HOW WE GOT HERE: The Gamecocks are off to a 2-1 start this season. Carolina opened the season with a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech in Atlanta, then rolled past South Carolina State at home by a 38-10 margin. The Gamecocks had their eight-game regular season winning streak snapped last week at home against Vanderbilt in a 31-7 decision.
BEAMER BALL ALIVE AND WELL: The Gamecocks have been excellent on special teams in 2025:
* The Gamecocks have scored four non-offensive touchdowns this season – three on punt returns and one fumble recovery for a score.
* Vicari Swain leads the country with three of his six punt returns going for touchdowns. Sixteen other payers are tied for second with one punt return for a TD each.
* Carolina ranks first in the SEC and fifth in the country in punt return average at 25.9 yards per return.
* Speedster Nyck Harbor returned a kickoff from about eight yards deep in the end zone for 43 yards against Vanderbilt. Carolina ranks fourth in the SEC and 24th in the country in kick returns at 27.0 yards per return.
* Mason Love, the top freshman punter in the country, ranking sixth in the nation in average at 47.8-yard per punt. Carolina is third in the SEC and 15th in the country in net punting at 45.2 yards per punt.
* The Gamecocks have blocked one punt in 2025. Since Shane Beamer took the reins in 2021, Carolina has blocked 17 kicks/punts, tied with Old Dominion for second behind only Notre Dame (18).
