Oct. 26, 2013

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Behind a big performance off the bench from senior quarterback Connor Shaw, No. 20/20 South Carolina (6-2, 4-2 SEC) came back to take a 27-24 overtime win at No. 5/7 Missouri on Saturday evening at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.

Shaw, who entered the game after the Tigers made it 17-0 on a third-quarter, 27-yard Andrew Baggett field goal, went 20-for-29 for 201 yards and three TDs. Junior wide receiver Bruce Ellington caught a career-high 10 passes for 136 yards, while sophomore running back Mike Davis tallied 150 all-purpose yards, including catching 10 passes for 99 yards.

On Shaw’s second drive, he led the Gamecocks to pay dirt, hitting Ellington in the front of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. An 11-play, 69-yard drive followed, where freshman Elliott Fry hit a 20-yard field goal to make it 17-10. Getting the ball back with 3:08 remaining, Shaw marched the Gamecocks 63 yards in eight plays, hitting junior Nick Jones for the two-yard score. Shaw, in regulation, went 17-for-22 with two TDs while also getting a big 11-yard run that moved the Gamecocks into Missouri territory on the second scoring drive

In overtime, the Tigers scored on their first possession in five plays, with Marcus Murphy getting a one-yard score to cap it. The Gamecocks gained a first down on its first offensive play of overtime when Shaw hit Ellington for a 16-yard pass. A sack moved South Carolina back to the 15, and two incomplete passes put the game down to one play. Shaw found Ellington again in the end zone to knot the game at 24-24. On the second possession, Fry hit a 40-yard field goal to put the Gamecocks ahead 27-24, and Missouri missed its FG shot from 24 yards away, hitting the left upright to hand South Carolina the win.

Overall, South Carolina posted 28 first downs compared to 17 for Missouri and threw for 423 yards total, more than the Tigers’ 249. The Gamecocks also ran 91 plays to the Tigers’ 66. South Carolina tallied 498 yards of total offense, while Missouri had 404.

South Carolina fell behind 14-0 in the first half, hurt by two lost fumbles and an interception. The first Missouri score, however, came after the Gamecocks missed a 40-yard field goal. The Tigers promptly covered 77 yards in nine plays, with Murphy ending the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:23 to go in the first quarter. The second Gamecock fumble, coming on the Missouri 2, swung the momentum fully toward the Tigers. On third-and-8, Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk hit L’Damian Washington for a 96-yard score, making it 14-0.

The Gamecocks tried to get back some points on the next possession, but Missouri’s Josh Gibson intercepted the pass at the Tiger 10. Missouri moved back toward midfield quickly before having to punt. South Carolina gained nine yards on first down but could not get another in the next three plays, turning the ball back over to the Tigers at the 34-yard line. The Gamecock defense stepped up and held Missouri there, all but ending the first half.

Sophomore linebacker Kaiwan Lewis had one of South Carolina’s highlights of the first half, picking off Mauk’s second pass of the game for his first career interception. Junior quarterback Dylan Thompson went 12-for-20 for 171 yards before half, with Ellington grabbing five of them for 69 yards. While the Gamecocks held the ball for 16:43 of the first half, South Carolina struggled on third down, converting just one out of seven chances.

Junior defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles led the Gamecock defense with six tackles, three for loss and two of those sacks. Junior Victor Hampton tied a career high with tow pass breakups to go with five tackles, matching junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney’s output in stops. Clowney also had one each of a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.

Mauk went 10-for-25 with one touchdown and one interception in the contest, while Henry Josey posted 79 yards on 15 carries. Marcus Lucas had three catches for 89 yards. Three Tigers, Markus Golden, Braylon Webb and Andrew Wilson, had eight tackles each.

South Carolina begins its season-ending four-game home stretch on Sat., Nov. 2 at 12:21 p.m. EDT against Mississippi State. The SEC-TV syndicated network will have the coverage.