The South Carolina Gamecocks took one on the chin in last week's drubbing at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. Some experts have singled out the loss as a death knell for the team's season going forward. We're not buying it. Here's 3 Reasons Why South Carolina Is Guaranteed To Beat Missouri.
1. Maty Mauk Suspended
Missouri will go without starting QB Maty Mauk on Saturday after he was suspended for "disciplinary reasons related to a violation of team policies." Per the university, his "status going forward will be evaluated after the game." In addition to Mauk, backup QB Malik Cuellar has also been suspended for disciplinary reasons. What does all this mean for South Carolina? It means that they'll have a chance to feast on freshman QB Drew Lock in his first career start.
2. Pharoh Cooper
Don't be fooled by his one-catch game against Georgia -- Cooper is one of the nation's most dangerous playmakers. South Carolina's leading receiver has also lined up at running back and quarterback at times for the Gamecocks.
“They spread him around the field so much that it’s hard to really game plan,” Missouri linebacker Michael Scherer said, “because you don’t know where he’s going to be. He could be in the backfield, in the slot. He can be a wideout. He can be at quarterback. He can be anywhere.”
That versatility will end up causing major problems for Missouri's defense with the Tigers reeling internally and (perhaps) with their collective minds occupied with off-the-field stuff.
3. Steve Spurrier Coaching 'Em Up
You best believe Spurrier used South Carolina's 52-20 embarassment at the hands of Georgia to motivate his guys in practice and in the film room this week. It's what he does. This Gamecocks team is way too talented across the board to fall apart after such a loss, and we're banking on a major come-up as they round themselves back into upper-tier bowl form. It's the Spurrier way.