Fairey Chevrolet Drive to CoMo: Everything you need to know ahead of South Carolina's Mayor's Cup battle with Missouri

This past weekend, South Carolina lost for the first time this fall. The Vanderbilt Commodores ended their 16-game losing streak to the Gamecocks with a 31-7 thrashing.

In week four, South Carolina will hit the road for the first time this season, though USC has already played away from home in a neutral-site affair. Fans will make a much longer drive (or a flight with a short drive) to the “other Columbia” this weekend. At 7:00 p.m., the Missouri Tigers will host South Carolina for the Mayor’s Cup.

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Here’s what you need to know heading into week three. (GamecockCentral will release a Missouri preview later in the week.)

The resumes

• After being ranked 11th heading into last week, South Carolina fell completely out of the AP top 25 this week. They appeared in the “also receiving votes” portion of the poll. The USA Today coaches poll included the Gamecocks at No. 24. Missouri slotted in at No. 23, according to the AP, and 22nd, according to the coaches poll.
• The ESPN FPI dropped Carolina down all the way to No. 37. The Gamecocks own the country’s No. 114 offense, No. 48 defense, and No. 6 special teams. The FPI has Mizzou at No. 12, with the No. 17 offense, No. 34 defense, and No. 67 special teams.
• Last season, South Carolina went 9-4 and 5-3 in the SEC. Missouri went 10-3 and 5-3 in the SEC. So far this year, the Gamecocks are 2-1 (0-1), while the Tigers are 3-0 (1-0).
• The Gamecocks put quarterback LaNorris Sellers, EDGE Dylan Stewart, and DB Jalon Kilgore on the preseason All-SEC squad. Missouri offensive lineman Cayden Green and wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. earned the honor.

Recent news

• South Carolina lost to Vanderbilt last week by a score of 31-7.
• Missouri beat the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, 52-10.
• Missouri did not start the year ranked but has moved into the top 25 the past two weeks.

Updates from the coaches

• South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media this week.
  • During Beamer’s press conference, he shared a few things:
    • Beamer dismissed the idea that the Gamecocks need to make a change at offensive coordinator, reminding those in attendance that both defensive coordinator Clayton White and former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains each showed major improvements after slow starts in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
    • He also said there was no merit to the criticism that the Gamecocks aren’t running LaNorris Sellers enough. He called the notion a “conspiracy theory” and “crap,” saying that USC is “calling the same gosh dang plays” as last year.
    • He did not give an update on quarterback LaNorris Sellers, saying that the next update would come on Wednesday. Beamer said that the quarterback will have to practice on Wednesday to play and that Luke Doty remains Sellers’ backup.
    • You can see everything Beamer said here.
• The Gamecock coordinators will speak to the media on Wednesday. This story will update with their quotes later this week.
• Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz also spoke to the media this week. This story will update with his quotes later this week.
• Nearly a month ago, South Carolina defensive line coach Travian Robertson was involved in a car accident. He has (for the most part) been away from the team since. Head coach Shane Beamer said on Tuesday that Robertson is getting closer to a return and even visited the facility recently.
  • Jordan Dove has stepped into Robertson’s place in the interim. The Gamecocks also have Kevin Hubbard listed as a defensive line assistant, and former Georgia Tech head coach and long-time defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is on staff, too. Assistant strength coach Jamil Walker has also helped out with the position group on game day.
• South Carolina has a new offensive coordinator this season. Mike Shula, who was an analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, has taken over for Dowell Loggains, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State. Contrastingly, Missouri returns all of its coordinators from the 2024 season.

Notes on week three

• South Carolina and Missouri will play for the Mayor’s Cup on Saturday.
• This game will be the Gamecocks’ first true road contest of the year. In week one, USC played away from home in a neutral-site affair against Virginia Tech before back-to-back home matchups with SC State and Vanderbilt. Missouri has played all of its games at home so far this year, and Saturday will be the fourth of six in a row at Faurot Field.
• Missouri has sold out Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium for the Mayor’s Cup.
• The Gamecocks defeated the Tigers last year in a thriller, 34-30.

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History

• Missouri owns a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series, but that number shrinks to 7-6 since Missouri joined the SEC.
• South Carolina won the 2024 matchup, 34-30. It was the Gamecocks’ first win over Mizzou since 2018.
• USC hasn’t won in CoMo since 2017. That victory is one of just two for Carolina on the road against Missouri. The other was Connor Shaw’s “Miracle in Missouri” game in 2013.

Injuries

• The most prominent injury on South Carolina football fans’ minds is the one to LaNorris Sellers. Sellers exited the Vanderbilt contest after a helmet-to-helmet hit. Other than one label of “optimistic,” head coach Shane Beamer has not updated his quarterback’s status.
• Right tackle Cason Henry also left the Vandy contest. He was part of the same “optimistic” report from Beamer but hasn’t had any other updates.
• Heading into the Vanderbilt game, cornerback Judge Collier was the only player (other than the ones in long-term situations) listed as “out.” Tight end Brady Hunt was “doubtful,” then “probable,” but played on a reduced workload. Cornerback/punt returner Vicari Swain, defensive back Jaquel Holman, and cornerback Brandon Cisee all held “probable” labels before being removed from the injury report later in the week.
• EDGE players George Wilson, Kobby Sakyi-Prah, and Jaylen Brown have long-term injuries. So do defensive back Zahbari Sandy, offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker, and defensive lineman Caleb Williams.
• The Gamecocks will release an SEC-mandated “availability report” on Wednesday.

Depth chart movement for the Gamecocks

• South Carolina posted another depth chart this week. You can check it out here.
  • There were a few minor changes to the depth chart from last week. Most notably, the Gamecocks added a few “OR” designations.
    • Running back now lists Oscar Adaway and Rahsul Faison as potential starters at the position, matching how the team has announced the position the last two weeks during pregame festivities.
    • While Nyck Harbor is a starter at wide receiver, the other two receiver spots are split between Donovan Murph OR Jared Brown OR Vandrevius Jacobs and Mazeo Bennett OR Brian Rowe. Previously, Harbor, Murphy, and Jacobs were the depth chart starters, and Rowe was also announced as a starter during pregame.

How to watch/listen

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Television/Streaming

The Gamecocks and Tigers will play on ESPN this weekend. The ESPN app will make the contest available via streaming, as well. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

The ESPN crew will include Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter).

Radio

Nationally, Sirius XM will also have the game available on channel 161 or 191.

Locally, Todd Ellis (play-by-play), Tommy Suggs (analyst), and Chet Tucker (sideline reporter) will be on the call on 107.5 The Game.

Fans can also stream the radio broadcast on the 107.5 The Game app.

Local radio affiliates include:

Aiken/Augusta, GA WYBO-FM 92.9
Allendale WDOG-FM 93.5
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-AM 1350
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-FM 96.1
Camden WCAM-AM 1590
Charleston WTMZ-FM 98.9
Chesterfield WVSZ-FM 107.3
Columbia WNKT-FM 107.5
Florence WFRK-FM 95.3
Gaffney WZZQ-AM 1500
Gaffney WZZQ-FM 104.3
Greenville WROO-FM 104.9
Greenwood WCZZ-AM 1090
Marion, N.C. WBRM-AM 1250
Marion, N.C. WBRM-FM 103.9
Myrtle Beach WSEA-FM 100.3
Newberry WKDK-AM 1240
Rock Hill/Lancaster WRHM-FM 107.1
Spartanburg WSPG-AM 1400
Spartanburg WSPG-FM 98.3
Sumter WIBZ-FM 95.5
Union WBCU-AM 1460
Union WBCU-FM 103.5

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