Prior to the Missouri game, much ink was spilled — both here and elsewhere — about how the South Carolina Gamecocks were on the precipice of a huge opportunity. And that wasn’t hyperbole: USC had the chance to not only secure a wildly unexpected sixth win, but also to buck the trend of its recent and disappointing history of falling flat after big victories.
Well, by now, you know the rest. South Carolina went into the other Columbia for an absolutely winnable game against a Missouri team with as poor a run defense as you’ll ever find, and left without the Mayor’s Cup and with a baffling and exasperating 31-28 defeat that was only so close because of a too little, too late fourth quarter rally.