The University of South Carolina football team plays its first SEC road game Saturday at Missouri.

The 2019 season has not gone the way many Gamecock fans thought it would around late July. However, the offense has hit a new gear in the 2 games since the opening day debacle against North Carolina.

No one should sugarcoat the 47-23 loss to Alabama. However, it should be noted that positives can be taken from a loss.

Freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski completed 36 passes, the third most all-time at South Carolina. He also attempted 56 passes, which clearly shows the staff has full faith in his ability to operate the offense at a high level.

Senior running back Rico Dowdle had a game-high in rushing and Bryan Edwards flashed signs of being the “go-to” wideout in a breakout game.

The defense, on the other hand, was scorched by Tua Tagovailoa, who amassed 446 yards passing and 5 TDs against the Gamecocks.

Tackling continues to be an issue for Will Mus-champ’s defense, and I believe we can expect some personnel changes this Saturday.

The Gamecocks (1-2, 0-1) face a tough remaining schedule where wins will be hard to come by.

If the Gamecocks want to make a bowl game, they must win in Missouri. The aggressive play calling by the coaching staff needs to continue as Hilinski makes his first SEC road start.

South Carolina is better than its record and it can prove it Saturday on a game airing on the SEC Network. It can also be heard on radio at WNKT (107.5 FM).

Justin Hall is the director of media/broacasting for the Lexington County Blowfish. He’s also the co-host of the ‘Fifth Quarter Post-Game Show’ on WVOC (560 AM) with former Gamecock Tim Frisby.