It was a fitting end to Brad Smith’s career at Missouri. The senior quarterback accounted for 431 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers rallied for a 38-31 win over South Carolina in the Independence Bowl.South Carolina jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Quarterback Blake Mitchell threw a pair of first-quarter touchdowns.Marcus King finally put Missouri on the board in the second quarter with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.After another South Carolina touchdown, Smith tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chase Coffman, making the score 28-14 at halftime.The Tigers pulled to within seven on Smith’s 31-yard score late in the third quarter, then tied the game on a 4-yard TD run by Smith early in the fourth.Adam Crossett gave Missouri its first lead on a 50-yard field goal with 10:14 remaining. Six minutes later, Josh Brown tied the game at 31-31 with a 30 yarder.Smith put Mizzou ahead for good on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:13 left in the game. Darnell Terrell sealed the win seconds later with an interception.Smith completed 21 of 37 passes for 282 yards. He also ran for 150 yards as Missouri won its first bowl game since beating West Virginia in the 1998 Insight.com Bowl. The Tigers and Gamecocks each finish the season at 7-5.
