Update 4:15 p.m. Bazelak did start for the Tigers, but threw his ninth interception of the season on the opening drive, and South Carolina leads 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Update 3:23 p.m. Still warming up, it looks promising for Bazelak to go here.
INJURY UPDATE: The biggest question coming into today’s game was QB Connor Bazelak’s status. He tested his hamstring during pregame warmups, and he is currently on the field in uniform. It looks like there’s a good possibility he will be in the starting lineup! pic.twitter.com/XURXNTG2jJ
— Kyle Helms (@khelms2023) November 13, 2021
Update 2:47 p.m. Bazelak is on the field warming up for Mizzou, but is still a game time decision.
Watch: Here's #Mizzou QB Connor Bazelak going through pregame warmups. He's reportedly a game-time decision to play against South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/gHztonR9Bd
— Andrew Kauffman (@AndrewABC17) November 13, 2021
The Missouri Tigers are two wins away from bowl eligibility with three games to go, and they likely need a win at home Saturday afternoon against the South Carolina Gamecocks to have a realistic chance the final two weeks. The Tigers could go into their second straight game without starting quarterback Connor Bazelak.
Bazelak did not play in last week’s blowout loss to the Georgia Bulldogs after leaving the previous game against the Vanderbilt Commodores with what has been described as a soft tissue injury.
Freshmen quarterbacks Brady Cook and Tyler Macon could not have been forced into a worse situation last week when they went up against the best defense in the country on the road in a 43-6 loss. Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 78 yards and added 32 yards on the ground on 10 attempts. Meanwhile, Macon threw for 74 yards on 6 of 13 passing and carried the ball 11 times for 42 yards.
Macon is a true freshman and can play in just one more game while still preserving his redshirt season, so it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff plays this if Bazelak has to miss additional games.
Bazelak has started every game outside of the matchup against Georgia and has completed 68.2% of his passes for 2,138 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Whoever takes snaps at quarterback will go up against a South Carolina defense that ranks No. 57 in yards per pass attempt against FBS opponents.
With three games to go, the Gamecocks would become bowl eligible with one more win.
Saturday’s game will get started at 4:00 p.m. ET from Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri and can be seen on SEC Network.
Missouri is a 1.5-point underdog according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the over/under set at 55.