South Carolina falls 17-10 to Missouri in first game of post-Muschamp era

In their first game under interim head coach Mike Bobo, it was more of the same ol’, same ol’ for the South Carolina Gamecocks, who fell 17-10 to Missouri in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night.

The game started off pretty ugly on offense for both sides, but the Tigers posted their first touchdown halfway through the first quarter thanks to a 20-yard Tauskie Dove reception. A 1-yard Larry Rountree III plunge early in the second quarter padded Mizzou’s lead, and a 20-yard field goal as time expired in the first half made it a 17-0 deficit for the Gamecocks after the first stanza. (Even worse, star receiver Shi Smith suffered a first-quarter injury and didn’t return.)

South Carolina finally got on the board thanks to a 47-yard Parker White field goal in the third quarter, but the offense continued to sputter as Bobo cycled through starting quarterback Collin Hill and backup Luke Doty. The Gamecock defense started stringing together some crucial stops to keep the game within reach and Mizzou off the board, but after Doty led South Carolina to its first touchdown of the night with a quick scoring run by Deshaun Fenwick, it was nothing doing for the Gamecocks.

The bright side: Doty had a good night for South Carolina in his first extended action, going 14 of 23 for 130 yards and showing off some escapability with his legs (although he tossed an interception). Kevin Harris was held to just 58 yards on 16 carries — Doty out-rushed him by a yard — and tight Nick Muse led the receiving corps with six catches for 67 yards.

The Gamecocks fall to 2-6 and host No. 13 Georgia under the lights again at 7:30 p.m. next week.