Up until and through most of Missouri’s upset win over Georgia, James Franklin was having a stellar senior campaign. As a passer, Franklin accumulated 1,577 yards on 195 attempts, 132 of which were completed. His 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio was also raising eyebrows across the nation. Franklin seemed to have finally become the competent quarterback that Missouri had long awaited for him to be. In terms of running, Franklin used his athleticism to account for 290 yards and three touchdowns. After two seasons of seeing James Franklin as little more than an athlete that could throw a football, he had become a legitimate dual-threat quarterback that had the ability to lead his team to an SEC title shot. Despite having still beaten Florida without Franklin, his presence will certainly be missed against South Carolina.

South Carolina’s defense is one of the most feared in the nation. The relentless pass rush, led by none other than the phenom Jadeveon Clowney, along with their naturally aggressive playing style has most teams begging for mercy. Even past Clowney, South Carolina’s defense is filled with future NFL talent, such as cornerback Victor Hampton and defensive lineman Chaz Sutton. Likewise, their offense is not be be taken lightly. Quarterback Connor Shaw, who has been stunning this season, is doubtful to start due to a knee injury, but that won’t be too much of an issue. Dylan Thompson is a competent game manager that will feed off of Mike Davis’ efforts. Davis has plowed through his opponents for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns via his 132 carries.

With James Franklin out, the fate of the team rests upon freshman Maty Mauk’s shoulders. More realistically, Mauk is not much more than a game manager at this stage in his young career. Responsibility trickles down to running back Russell Hansbrough. Normally, Henry Josey would also be taking carries, but he suffered a knee injury that has sadly ended his season. Hansbrough will take on full responsibility as the feature back in an offense that will need to establish a rushing attack to win. Unfortunately for them, South Carolina’s defense will prove to be too much to handle. Hansbrough will struggle to be an overly effective runner and Mauk will not be able to take the game into his own hands. Their offense will not be able to keep up with South Carolina’s. James Franklin’s absence is certainly devastating and has a domino of negative effects. Their unexpected streak of wins will come to a depressing end at their own field.