After taking on Vanderbilt in Nashville on Nov. 9, South Carolina will return to Columbiathe next week as it welcomes Missouri to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers enter the season ranked No. 11 in the country.
Missouri will enter this year's matchup on a five-game winning streak over the Gamecocks and a 9-5 record in the series. The last time South Carolina defeated Missouri came in 2018 in a 37-35 victory in Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Tigers are coming off a strong 2023 season which saw it finish with an 11-2 record and a 14-3 win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Tigers were ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll of the 2023 season and were picked to finish sixth in the SEC in this year's preseason poll.
Below, we will take a look at what head coach Eli Drinkwitz and Missouri will bring to the table in all three phases in 2024.
OFFENSE
In 2023, Missouri's offense finished sixth in the SEC in points per game at 32.5. The Tigers 435.1 yards per game was fifth in the league on 262.3 passing (6th) and 172.8 rushing (6th).
The Tigers' offense has multiple players returning off last year's squad including quarterback Brady Cook who threw for 3,189 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2023.
Cook will have his top four wide receivers returning from last season in Luther Burden III (1,212 yards), Theo Wease Jr. (682 yards), Mookie Cooper (447 yards) and Marquis Johnson (383 yards). Burden returns to Missouri as one of the top wide receivers in the country for the 2024 season.
Missouri has big shoes to fill at running back as Cody Schrader, who led the SEC in rushing with 1,627 yards, is off to the NFL. The Tigers will look to do with Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll, who rushed for 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Nate Noel, who tallied 834 yards last season at Appalachian State, was also added to the running back room.
The Tigers' offensive line will have to replace Javon Foster, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the transfer portal, the Tigers added Oklahoma transfer Cayden Green and SMU transfer Marcus Bryant.
Connor Tollison returns to anchor the offensive line after starting 13 games at center a year ago. Armand Membou also returns after starting all 13 games at right tackle as does Cam'Ron Johnson, who started 12 games at right guard.
DEFENSE
In 2023, Missouri's defense allowed opponents to score 22.3 points per game, which finished 6th in the SEC. Opponents averaged 347 yards per game (4th) on 222 passing yards (8th) and 124.8 rushing yards (6th) per game.
Following the end of the season, defensive coordinator Blake Baker left to take the same job at LSU. In his place, Drinkwitz will turn to Corey Batoon to fill the spot, who makes his way to Missouri after three seasons as South Alabama's defensive coordinator.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, Missouri saw five defensive players be selected in defensive end Darius Robinson (first round, Arizona Cardinals), defensive back Ennis Rakestraw (second round, Detroit Lions), linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper (third round, Green Bay Packers) and defensive backs Kris Abrams-Draine and Jaylon Carlies, who were fifth round selections by the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
The Tigers looked to the transfer portal to help fill needs on the defensive side of the ball as 11 of their 15 additions from the transfer portal came on that side of the ball. On the defensive line, Drinkwitz and his staff added Eddie Kelly (Georgia Tech), Darris Smith (Georgia), Sterling Webb (New Mexico State), Zion Young (Michigan State) and Chris McClellan (Florida). Smith, however, suffered a season-ending injury in preseason camp.
At linebacker, Corey Flagg (Miami), Jeremiah Beasley (Michigan) and Khalil Jacobs (South Alabama) were added as was cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. from Clemson.
Missouri does have a few key players returning including safety Joseph Charleston, who finished second on the team in tackles last year with 60. Linebacker Chuck Hicks, who tallied 53 tackles with 11 being for loss, also makes his way back as does fellow linebacker Triston Newson, who totaled 52 tackles with seven being for loss. Safety Daylan Carnell, who logged 51 tackles with six being for loss and three sacks, returns to the Tigers' secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Missouri will have to replace its kicker from the past four years as Harrison Mevis used his final season of eligibility in 2023. The Tigers have four kickers on the roster in Blake Craig, Brody Boehm, Will Safris and Nick Quadrini. Craig was rated as a five-star kicker coming out of high school Kohl's kicking camps.
At punter, Luke Bauer makes his way back to Missouri after averaging 41.9 yards per punt on 22 attempts with a long of 73. Bauer also tallied five punts of 50 or more yards and pinned eight inside the 20.
In the return game, Luther Burden III handled the punt return duties a year ago while fellow wide receiver Marquis Johnson returned seven kickoffs for 146 yards.
