COLUMBIA, S.C. – Despite freshman RB Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) setting a school record with his eighth rushing touchdown, Mizzou Football lost a close road contest at South Carolina, 31-21, on Saturday evening at Williams-Brice Stadium. Crockett scored his record-breaking eight TD of the season in the second quarter to pass QB Brad Smith who has seven as freshman in 2002. Junior LB Eric Beisel (Fenton, Mo.) also tallied a career-high 14 tackles, including two behind the line, in his second career start.
Mizzou’s defense tallied season-highs in tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (four), but they struggled to slow freshman QB Jake Bentley, who threw for 254 yards and two scores. RB Rico Dowdle also rushed for 149 yards on 27 carries and scored once each on the ground and through the air to lead the Gamecock offense.
South Carolina got on the board first with a six-yard run by WR Deebo Samuel after the Gamecocks recovered a Dimetrios Mason (Loganville, Ga.) fumble deep in Mizzou territory. Mizzou went three-and-out on its ensuing possession, but a huge TFL by Beisel and a Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) sack stalled the next Gamecock drive and the punt gave Mizzou the ball near midfield.
The two teams traded punts before Mizzou went 90 yards in seven plays over 1:56, capped by 29-yard TD run by Crockett, his eighth TD of the season on the ground. That is a new Mizzou freshman record, breaking the previous mark of seven held by Smith in 2002.
The Gamecocks marched right back down the field on their next possession and capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 17-yard TD pass to Rico Dowdle. Beisel batted the ball out of the air, but Dowdle made the adjustment and hauled in a diving catch in the endzone for the score. That gave South Carolina 14-7 lead with 8:39 remaining in the first half.
Mizzou answered with a long drive of its own, capped by another extended TD run, this time by Ish Witter (Tampa, Fla.), a 25-yard strike to cap an eight-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game at 14-all with 6:01 remaining. Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) picked up a key first down on a QB keeper to extend the drive and Mizzou also converted a fourth-and-six on the play prior to the touchdown to keep the drive alive.
The back-and-forth affair continued as Carolina took the ensuing possession 65 yards over eight plays, capped by a third-down, six-yard TD pass to K.C. Crosby to give the Gamecocks a 21-14 lead. The score stayed that way going into the break. Harris tallied his second sack of the game on Carolina’s final drive of the half, moving him past Jacquies Smith and Kony Ealy on Mizzou’s all-time sacks list with 14.5 in his career.
Mizzou took its opening possession of the second half down the field, using a heavy dose of Witter and it was ended on a nine-yard TD catch by TE Kendall Blanton (Blue Springs, Mo.), his third of the year. That is the most TD grabs by a Mizzou TE since Michael Egnew had three in 2010.
The Tigers drove the ball into South Carolina territory looking to take the lead, but Lock threw an interception at the Gamecock two-yard line. Carolina then took the ensuing possession 98 yards for the TD score to open a 28-21 lead with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter. Mizzou missed a field goal early in the fourth quarter and South Carolina took the ball the other way and tallied the game-clinching score.
The Tigers are home next Saturday vs. Vanderbilt for a 2:30 kickoff on the SEC Network.
