South Carolina’s situation has drastically shifted entering its matchup with No. 23 Missouri on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. It suffered a 31-7 defeat against Vanderbilt over the weekend, but its biggest concern may be the health status of star quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
The Heisman Trophy candidate exited the game late in the second quarter after taking a hit from Commodores linebacker Langston Patterson, which was later ruled targeting. That left Sellers with a concussion, according to reports, and some uncertainty moving forward. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer didn’t provide any updates when asked about Sellers on Tuesday but reminded reporters that the Southeastern Conference injury report publishes Wednesday evening.
When Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz took the lectern Tuesday, his mindset didn’t seem to waver surrounding the availability of Sellers.
“I anticipate LaNorris to play,” he said.
Figuring out Sellers’ status will be a waiting game throughout the week. His designation could be left at questionable until the day of the game. Beamer said he was “optimistic” his starting signal-caller could suit up against the Tigers, but a lot can change.
What isn’t changing is Drinkwitz’s approach. The excellence of Sellers is obvious. While he hadn’t started off the year particularly up to the standards he set in 2024, he clearly still has the talent to be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. Whether he plays or not, Missouri’s game plan shouldn’t alter too much.
“There’s not two stylistic differences in the way that quarterback position is going to be played,” Drinkwitz said. “So for us, we’re going to anticipate that LaNorris will play, and we’ll adjust if he does not.”
Assuming Sellers does take Faurot Field as the starter Saturday, the Tigers have a big enough sample size to know what to expect. He dominated in the air with career highs of 353 passing yards and five total touchdowns in a 34-30 win over Missouri last season.
The Mizzou defense was able to limit Sellers’ production in the run game — holding him to 45 yards on 14 attempts — but he’s still a tough threat to contain. The Tigers have faced plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks, but he might take the cake as the best of the brood.
“He’s got a unique build and frame,” Drinkwitz said of Sellers. “He’s really strong, hard to tackle in the pocket, hard to wrap up. Makes incredible decisions and plays when the play is broken down. I think that’s always a challenge.”
If Sellers isn’t ready, sixth-year veteran Luke Doty will take his seat as the captain. Despite not seeing much of him in-game, Drinkwitz recalled recruiting him out of Myrtle Beach High School when he was an assistant coach at NC State.
When Doty took over against Vanderbilt, the graduate senior put up 148 passing yards and completed 18 of 27 passes but threw one interception. Mizzou has studied up enough to be ready if he’s the assignment.
“Really good player, but I don’t think their scheme is going to change any,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s not LaNorris, but he’s a very good, capable player.”
Drinkwitz ran into trouble last year when he assumed Texas A&M would start Marcel Reed at quarterback rather than an injured Conner Weigman. Once the game started and Weigman took the signal-calling duties, he led the Aggies to a 41-10 rout of the Tigers.
The circumstances are much different in this case. Sellers and Doty align more schematically than Reed and Weigman once did, and Doty hasn’t exactly shown he can be as productive as the two Texas A&M quarterbacks.
A healthy Sellers would undeniably be Missouri’s biggest challenge Saturday. The preparation lies with containing him. The other scenarios can be tackled later.
Hardy earns weekly awards, praise from Drinkwitz
It’s no surprise that a 250-yard and three-touchdown performance has garnered a lot of attention toward Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy.
The UL Monroe transfer’s performance against Louisiana earned him a plethora of accolades this week. The list includes selections as the Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week, the Doak Walker Player of the Week and an entry on the PFF National Team of the Week. Hardy was also the leading rusher out of the SEC.
It hasn’t taken Hardy very long to adjust to the SEC. The sophomore didn’t particularly look like himself on the first couple of carries against Central Arkansas, according to Drinkwitz, but those early worries have since evaporated.
“That wasn’t kind of how he was all camp and what we saw on tape,” Drinkwitz said. “I think once he just settled into playing football and not really worried about all the other stuff ... , he’s been really special.”
Mizzou has a history of having elite running backs under Drinkwitz. The sixth-year coach compared Hardy to standouts Cody Schrader and Tyler Badie, describing him as a mix of the two.
“(Hardy’s) ability to to break tackles reminds me very much of Cody (Schrader) and at times Tyler Badie, but he’s got an explosiveness to him that’s more similar to Tyler,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s really been remarkable.”
Through three games, Hardy seems to be on the trajectory to continue making Missouri’s run game blossom.
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