Gamecocks defeat #5 Missouri in double overtime thriller; Clemson rebounds; LSU beats Furman

Gamecock Bruce Ellington catches a touchdown pass from Connor Shaw in overtime Saturday night against #5 Missouri

Gamecock Bruce Ellington catches a touchdown pass from Connor Shaw in overtime Saturday night against #5 Missouri

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier called on injured quarterback Connor Shaw in the third quarter Saturday night with the Gamecocks down 17-0 to the 5th-ranked Missouri Tigers and starter Dylan Thompson struggling. Shaw responded with 201 yards and three touchdowns, including three fourth-quarter drives as the Gamecocks scored on their final five possessions to stun the unbeaten Tigers 27-24 in two overtimes. Freshman Elliott Fry’s 40-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner after Missouri’s Andrew Baggett clanked a 24-yard attempt off the left goal post. The Gamecocks become bowl eligible with the win and return to finish out the regular season at home with games against Mississippi State, Florida, Coastal Carolina, and Clemson.

The 9th-ranked Clemson Tigers rebounded Saturday in College Park, Maryland with a 40-27 win over the Terrapins. Just a week after falling 51-14 to Florida State, Dabo Swinney’s club amassed 551 yards of offense. Tajh Boyd threw for a touchdown and ran for a score, Sammy Watkins had a school-record 14 catches for 163 yards and Roderick McDowell rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

In a game  heard on 96.3 WGOG, LSU’s offense piled up nearly 700 yards and the 13th-ranked Tigers walked out of Death Valley with a comfortable 48-16 romp over Furman. Most of the Bayou Bengals big plays came in the second half, after leading the Paladins by only a 20-16 margin at halftime. Odell Beckham, Jr. caught six passes for 204 yards and two scores, Terrence Magee added two second-half touchdowns, including one from 39 yards out, and Jeremy Hill highlighted a 143-yard night with a 55-yard scoring run for LSU (7-2), who outscored the Paladins (3-5) 28-0 in the second half. Furman now heads to Statesboro where they will face Georgia Southern in a 1:00 PM kickoff next Saturday on 96.3 WGOG.