Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ win over South Carolina, Saturday night at Faurot Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

NCAA Football1st2nd3rd4thFinal
South Carolina (2-2, 0-2)0146020
#23 Missouri (4-0, 2-0)01261129

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

COLUMBIA, MO — The No. 23-ranked University of Missouri football team rallied from behind twice in the second half and scored the game’s final 11 points to earn a 29-20 win over South Carolina in the annual Mayor’s Cup Game, in front of a sold out crowd of 57,321 at Faurot Field.

It was the first SEC win of the season for Missouri, which has begun the year with four straight wins. South Carolina, which was ranked No. 11 in the country heading into last week’s game against Vanderbilt, has now lost two straight and is 2-2 on the season.

“That was a heck of a battle,” Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “You could tell they were ticked off about last week’s performance and came in and fought. Really proud of our team for not really flinching. We got tested and challenged some, but we just kept hammering away and we earned ourselves a win.”

Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy rushed for 138 yards and scored a touchdown in the Tigers’ win over South Carolina on Saturday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

The Tigers were led by sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, who is quickly becoming revered as one of the top ball carriers in the country. Hardy rushed for 138 yards — his fourth straight 100-yard game as a Tiger — and scored a touchdown that gave Missouri the lead midway through the third quarter.

Fellow sophomore quarterback Beau Pribula threw a touchdown pass and ran for a two-point conversion on his way to 243 total yards that also helped pace the Mizzou offense. Junior running back Jamal Roberts had 76 yards rushing and scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Missouri finished with 285 rushing yards, while South Carolina had negative nine. The Gamecocks were able to stay in the game due to its passing game.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns. The first one came on a 49-yard pass to Vandrevius Jacobs, which gave South Carolina a 7-6 lead. The second came just before the two-minute timeout, on a 24-yard pass to Brian Rowe, which put the Gamecocks ahead 14-9.

Mizzou drove for a field goal just before halftime and trailed 14-12 at the break.

Jamal Roberts had 76 rushing yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in Mizzou’s win over South Carolina, Saturday night. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Carolina added a field goal of its own to go ahead 17-12 early in the third quarter. Hardy scored on a 5-yard run to put Mizzou back ahead 18-17. The Gamecocks then added another field goal in the final seconds of the third to go back ahead 20-18.

“That’s the thing that’s disappointing,” Drinkwitz said. “You look up, and our stats, our numbers, our time of possession is dominating, but the scoreboard is not, and it’s because we’re giving up explosive plays down the field for touchdowns.”

The key drive in the game came in the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Missouri drove 75 yards on 10 plays, capped by Roberts’ touchdown and Pribula’s two-point conversion that put the Tigers up 26-20.

The Mizzou defense took over after that and didn’t allow another first down the rest of the game. South Carolina had three possessions in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t move the ball and could only watch as the Tigers ran out the clock in the final seconds.

“This can either be a highlight or a launching point,” Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “We can be satisfied with our ability to win this game, or we can go back to work and launch ourselves into the rest of the SEC.”

Members of the Mizzou defense celebrate a big play during the Tigers’ win over South Carolina, Saturday night at Faurot Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

The Tigers will be back at home next Saturday, with a non-conference game against the University of Massachusetts. After that, Mizzou will go on its first bye week of the season, before returning to action on October 11 against Alabama.

Kickoff for the UMass game is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

SCORING SUMMARY

QtrTeamTimeDescriptionSCMIZ
2ndMIZ14:24MIZ – Manning, Joshua 8 yd pass from Pribula, Beau (PAT failed), 9 plays, 99 yards, TOP 04:3806
2ndUSC11:26SC – Jacobs, Vandrevius 49 yd pass from Sellers, LaNorris (Joyce, William kick), 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 02:5276
2ndMIZ05:54MIZ – Meyer, Robert 23 yd field goal, 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 05:3279
2ndUSC02:31SC – Rowe Jr., Brian 24 yd pass from Sellers, LaNorris (Joyce, William kick), 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:15149
2ndMIZ00:17MIZ – Meyer, Robert 22 yd field goal, 11 plays, 71 yards, TOP 02:141412
3rdUSC08:27SC – Joyce, William 32 yd field goal, 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 04:231712
3rdMIZ05:34MIZ – Hardy, Ahmad 5 yd run (2-pt conversion failed), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:531718
3rdUSC00:18SC – Joyce, William 36 yd field goal, 9 plays, 56 yards, TOP 05:102018
4thMIZ09:32MIZ – Roberts, Jamal 16 yd run (Pribula, Beau rush), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:462026
4thMIZ01:34MIZ – Meyer, Robert 40 yd field goal,10 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:292029

2025 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTVRadioResults
August 28, 2025 (Thursday)6:30 pmHomeCentral ArkansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 61-6 (1-0)
September 6, 2025 (Saturday)2:30 pmHomeKansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 42-31 (2-0)
September 13, 2025 (Saturday)12 pmHomeLouisianaFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 52-10 (3-0)
September 20, 2025 (Saturday)6 pmHomeSouth CarolinaFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 29-20 (4-0)
September 27, 2025 (Saturday)6:30 pmHomeMassachusettsFaurot FieldTiger Radio Network
October 11, 2025 (Saturday)11 amHomeAlabamaFaurot Field11 amTiger Radio Network
October 18, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayAuburnAuburn, Ala. / Jordan-Hare StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
October 25, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayVanderbiltNashville, Tenn. / FirstBank StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
November 8, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeTexas A&MFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 15, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeMississippi StateFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 22, 2025 (Saturday)11 amAwayOklahomaNorman, Okla. / Memorial Stadium11 amTiger Radio Network
November 29, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayArkansasFayetteville, Ark. / Razorback StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network