In the #23 Missouri Tigers’ most important game of the season, they are tasked with making the trip to Columbia, SC to face the #21 South Carolina Gamecocks.

The implications a Tiger loss or win would have on its College Football Playoff chances make or break the rest of Missouri’s season. Leaving Williams-Brice Stadium with a win won’t be easy, though. The Gamecocks are hitting their stride at the perfect time and are a threat to any team that comes their way.

From its hard-to-pass defensive line and secondary to its strong running backs at the forefront of the offense, the Gamecocks are climbing the SEC ranks late in the season. Here are the top three South Carolina football details ahead of Missouri’s game in Columbia.

The two best players in the Gamecock offense are the quarterback and the running back. Freshman LaNorris Sellers is slowly establishing himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the country. He’s currently at 1,450 passing yards and nine touchdowns, but that’s not his strongest trait on the spot. A common theme for opposing quarterbacks Missouri’s defense has faced, Sellers is another mobile quarterback.

He rushed for 391 yards and four touchdowns, but his running style is what makes him such a threat. At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Sellers is as strong a quarterback runner as you’ll find. Sellers is a challenge to bring down in the open field and it’s clear he likes to soak up contact. His running style, if he were to be compared, shows similar traits to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Both are strong and love to take hits, but both are also capable of breaking up big runs.

The Gamecocks have a similar player at running back in senior Rocket Sanders. A transfer from Arkansas, Drinkwitz and the Tiger defense are quite familiar with Sanders. They’ve seen him twice in his four years in the SEC, but Sanders has yet to set the Tigers on fire. This year could be the year Sanders has a chance to do so.

He has rushed for 696 yards and 10 touchdowns to start the season, with three 100-yard rushing games this year. This is Sanders’ first true, healthy season since 2022, where he rushed for 1,443 yards with the Razorbacks and is making the most of it. Like the sellers, Sanders works hard and efficiently. He’s hard to bring down and once he moves down the field, it’s like stopping a freight train.

On the other side of the ball, the Gamecocks boast one of the best defensive lines in the SEC and the nation. Pro Football Focus rates South Carolina’s pass rush as the second-best in the country, behind only the Michigan Wolverines. Its defense ranks 23rd nationally, and overall, PFF lists the Gamecocks as the third-best defensive unit. The group’s performance starts with the talented defensive line.

Featured by veteran defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway and transfer defensive tackle Kyle Kennard. The Gamecocks have the perfect mix of athleticism and power in the front line. Hemingway has 17 quarterback pressures and four sacks on the season, and Kennard has 33 and eight, leading the team in both stats. Hemingway is a force in the middle who uses his strength and bag of tricks to get to the quarterback and Kennard a big, quick table that isn’t easy to block. Kennard fits the mold of what most NFL general managers look for in a pass rusher, sitting at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. He’s sure to get the attention of the NFL when this process takes place.

When talking about the Gamecock defensive line, you can’t forget freshman phenom Dylan Stewart. He’s second in both pressures and sacks with 35 and six, with a 17.4% pass-rush percentage to go along with it. Stewart, like Kennard, is everything an NFL scout would want in a defensive end. Stewart’s speed off the edge will be a challenge for both Marcus Bryant and Armand Membou.

The Gamecock front line applies a lot of pressure to the quarterback and running game, but the back line of defensive backs provides similar help to the passing attack. The front of the secondary is led by safety Nick Emmanwori, a three-year starter for the Gamecocks. He leads the team in tackles and interceptions currently with 60 tackles and four picks, two of which were returned for touchdowns. On 29 targets, he boasts one of the lowest completion percentages allowed at 51.7%.

The cornerback trio of O’Donnell Fortune, Jalon Kilgore and Judge Collier has the best coverage in the secondary. Fortune and Kilgore are in the top five in coverage rating per PFF for the Gamecocks and the three have six interceptions between them.

Freshman Vicari Swain has shown moments of greatness, allowing just six receptions on 14 targets this season. The room is deep for the Gamecocks and they have a lot of names they can throw at different offenses. Kilgore, Fortune and Emmanwori at safety will be the three that challenge Missouri’s receiving core the most.

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