BREAKING: Drew Lock will not drink out of any water bottles this time around when the Tigers visit Columbia, South Carolina. He did last time they were there in 2016.
He touched on how Williams-Bryce Stadium is one of “the top one or two places I’ve played.” Barry Odom seemed to agree with Lock on playing at South Carolina: “One of the best atmospheres in college football, and I admire the way that they do it.”
The atmosphere there certainly is electric, and Missouri’s bout with the Gamecocks Saturday, Oct. 6 will be no different.
South Carolina was picked by many to be the best team in the SEC East not from the state of Georgia. After getting trounced by No. 2 Georgia and No. 13 Kentucky, that prediction seems a little more hazy. The Gamecocks and their fans will surely pack the house for Lock and his Tigers, ready for South Carolina’s biggest home game on the remaining schedule.
Odom touched on the Gamecocks’ star wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He can take over a game with his speed, and is one of the scariest matchups the Missouri secondary will face all year. Samuel has 22 receptions for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the year, but more importantly, is a dynamic return-man. He had two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2017 and another in 2016.
“He is in my opinion one of the top playmakers in college football,” Odom said. “I would rather [kickoffs] go in row five behind the end zone than where he can catch it.”
Missouri cannot go 0-3 in this three-game stretch against No. 2 Georgia, South Carolina, and No. 1 Alabama — especially with a game at home against No. 13 Kentucky two weeks after the Tigers play the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. That makes this a must-win game, and it looks like Lock and Odom know this. The Tigers will be ready to go to war Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.