COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer remembers watching a lot of quarterback Drew Pyne a few years back.
Beamer anticipates seeing a lot more of Pyne this weekend. Pyne, Missouri's backup behind injured starter Brady Cook, is prepping to start for the 24th-ranked Tigers (7-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) when they take on No. 23 South Carolina (6-3, 4-3) on Saturday.
Beamer was an assistant for Oklahoma when Pyne was the Sooners' top quarterback prospect. The Gamecocks coach recalled the first recruiting trip Sooners coach Lincoln Riley ever sent him on was to New Canaan, Connecticut, to watch Pyne as a high schooler. “He was our top quarterback that we were recruiting at Oklahoma,” Beamer said this week.
Beamer and Oklahoma lost out to Notre Dame, where Pyne started 10 games in 2022. He then went to Arizona State last season before joining the Tigers. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said Cook's availability — he got hurt two games ago midway through the loss to Alabama — would not be known until later in the week.
But the Tigers would plan for Pyne to start once more. Pyne subbed in against Alabama and threw three interceptions in a 34-0 loss two weeks ago. He tossed three touchdowns in the 30-23 win over Oklahoma.
Drinkwitz said Pyne has settled into the position the more reps he's gotten and is confident that progression will continue through practice and into the game with South Carolina. “I think that’s just going to be a little bit easier a.