South Carolina returns to Columbia this week as they prepare to face the Missouri Tigers.

South Carolina is garnering more national attention after back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks are ranked in the top 25 in the AP for the first time since the end of the 2022 season. Now (7-2) Missouri comes to town trying to push South Carolina out of that ranking.

The Tigers had SEC title and college football playoff dreams entering this year, and while they weren’t mathematically out of either, they weren’t the team they thought about most at the start of the year. However, a loss on Saturday will put an end to the early season dreams. With the Tigers’ back in the corner, what can the Gamecocks expect to see from Missouri this weekend?

Much of the Tigers’ success this season was due to the return of Brady Cook and talented pass catchers (more on them later). The problem this season has been the health of Missouri’s star quarterback. Cook injured his ankle in a win over Auburn on October 19. The following week against Alabama, Cook was unable to finish the game due to ankle and hand injuries. Those two setbacks would cause him to miss last weekend’s win against Oklahoma. The Tigers have not announced whether Cook will return to the lineup this weekend. If he is out or limited, the Gamecocks could see Drew Pyne transfer from Notre Dame and Arizona State. Pyne could play for Missouri this season, but he is not as talented a player as Cook. Cook’s health is a major factor in this weekend’s game.

The South Carolina secondary will take on the talented Tigers’ receiving core on Saturday. Theo Wease Jr. He leads the team in yards (552), while superstar Luther Burden III ranks second on the team in yards (505) and leads the team in touchdowns (4) and receptions (45). Behind these two lies a deep threat to Mookie Cooper. Cooper is in his fourth year with the Tigers and is having the best year of his career in terms of yards per catch (19.6). Missouri has a wealth of talent at the position, the question remains whether they have the QB to deliver it to them.

South Carolina wants to run the ball. Between LaNorris Sellers, Rocket Sanders and the experienced offensive line, this team is the bread and butter. But as the year went on, so did the passing game as Sellers and his core of receivers learned to adapt. The problem this weekend is that Missouri has one of the best secondary schools in the country. They allow 161.4 yards per game (8th in the nation, 2nd in the SEC). South Carolina will have to find ways to take advantage of Missouri to ease the situation on Saturday.

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