South Carolina heads into Saturday’s Mayor’s Cup clash with Missouri as a heavy underdog. After being blown out by Vanderbilt last weekend, Shane Beamer’s squad is drawing little confidence from national analysts, with many expecting another loss.
But not everyone is writing the Gamecocks off.
On the latest episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, the On3 analyst admitted Missouri has the upper hand, yet he can’t help but recall South Carolina’s stunning 2024 rout of Oklahoma. “You know what I can’t shake? I can’t shake that image of them going to Oklahoma last year…they blitzed them,” Pate said. “They won a game that felt like it changed the course of the season.”
Even so, Pate doesn’t see this matchup as an easy upset pick. “Missouri is still looking to make a statement. Missouri’s best win is Kansas,” he noted. “[South Carolina is] just another opportunity for [the Tigers] to flex in conference play.”
Because of that, he hesitated to predict an outright Gamecocks win. “I respect the athletic profile of South Carolina’s team, but I looked for a reason to pick the outright upset. I couldn’t find it. The best I can do is a six [out of ten],” Pate explained.
For South Carolina to have a shot, Pate pointed to quarterback LaNorris Sellers but stressed that others must contribute. “I expect [LaNorris Sellers] to play…this is a pure desperation spot for South Carolina,” he said. “You’ve got to keep that team from looking at No. 16 and thinking he’s Superman. Other folks have got to shoulder the load. Someone’s got to step up, multiple someones have got to step up.”
While he stopped short of predicting a USC victory, Pate made it clear what he hopes to see: “I’d love for me to turn on that South Carolina game, and it’s a dog fight in the 4th quarter on the road in Columbia. And it’s because everyone is not looking at No. 16 to be Superman. Some people are taking it upon themselves to maybe stick their faces in the fan.”
He also suggested the Vanderbilt loss was more about effort than talent. “There’s no way with the overall athletic profile of that South Carolina team that…Vandy is running it up on you. Now you go on the road in pure desperation mode…I think it’s a huge game for them this weekend.”
Kickoff for the Mayor’s Cup is set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, with live streaming available through the ESPN app.
