In a 37-35 win Saturday against Missouri, South Carolina took the lead in the series, now up five wins to four against the Tigers.
The Gamecocks faced unexpected challenges at the noon kickoff game, from weather to new chemistry. Players and fans experienced pouring rain at Williams-Brice, sat through two weather delays and witnessed history in a highly competitive SEC matchup against Missouri.
The Gamecocks came from behind in the fourth quarter and secured the win in a shootout against Missouri. The outcome of this game was unpredictable throughout, with six lead changes in the second half alone.
South Carolina drove down the field with less than two minutes remaining, and Parker White hit a late game field goal that ultimately secured the win.
However, who got them there was not a familiar face.
South Carolina was missing a key piece of its offense this game, starting quarterback Jake Bentley, who missed the game due to a knee sprain.
Fifth-year senior Michael Scarnecchia got the starting nod at quarterback, which was his first career start as a Gamecock.
"Last time I played a game like this it was high school," Scarnecchia said. "It's been a real long time since I've gotten my opportunity to play ... things always didn't go my way but that's alright, because there is a bigger picture and that's the team."
The offensive tempo remained unsteady for the Gamecocks, with their first drive ending in a three-and-out. However, their execution overpowered the mistakes on offense.
"We've got confidence in Mike, we've always had confidence in Mike," Muschamp said. "You think about in terms of being a first time starter, and under that weather, that's pretty daunting task. And he did a fantastic job."
The Gamecocks had to overcome the Tigers' dominate offense that spread their defense thin. From the start, this was a competitive edge that Missouri had over South Carolina.
Missouri came into the game with the top-ranked passing offense in the SEC, but as the game went on, South Carolina moved players in the secondary around in an attempt to contain Missouri's passing game.
The movement of players and switching the look of the defense led to some key forced field goals in the red-zone for Missouri.
Muschamp said he was confident that if his team held Missouri in the red-zone effectively, the Gamecocks could flip the field and secure a victory. And he was right.
"They had eight red-zone trips and they scored touchdowns on three. That's really good red-zone defense, that's as good as there'll be in the country." Muschamp said.
South Carolina will look to carry the momentum from this close home game win forward as the team prepares for Texas A&M next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.