Mississippi wasn’t ready for the Top 5
Mississippi wasn’t ready for the Top 5 or South Carolina’s defense. Standout quarterback Jevan Snead was hounded all game and the fourth-ranked Rebels never got in gear in losing to South Carolina 16-10 Thursday night. South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had been 1-31 all-time against Top 5 foes but left Williams-Brice Stadium with the biggest win of coach Steve Spurrier’s five seasons. Spencer Lanning kicked three field goals and fullback Patrick DiMarco a key 2-yard scoring catch for the Gamecocks.
Mississippi (2-1, 0-1) had one last chance at a go-ahead touchdown that would’ve extended its eight-game winning streak. But Snead was sacked by Cliff Matthews, then had a fourth-down pass knocked away by Darian Stewart. Snead, the Mississippi senior, came into the season with a Tim Tebow-like buzz; Spurrier even voted him preseason first-team SEC quarterback before changing to Tebow. Snead, though, flopped in front of a national audience eager to see what the Rebels were made of. Snead missed six consecutive passes throws during one stretch and only once came through with a critical play as his 45-yard scoring pass to Markeith Summers with less than 10 minutes left in the game cut the deficit to 16-10.
