Missouri defensive end Shane Ray notched two more sacks Saturday against one of the SEC's top offensive lines in the Tigers' 21-20 road win over South Carolina.
Ray and another of Missouri's top pro prospects, defensive end Markus Golden, spent the night working against mammoth offensive tackles Corey Robinson and Brandon Shell of the Gamecocks. But on Ray's first sack, he beat a guard, Will Sport, to drop Gamecocks quarterback Dylan Thompson for a loss of 5 yards, forcing a second-quarter punt. He and Golden lined up on the same side of the line on the play, and Shell took on Golden on the edge, leaving Sport outmatched at right guard to handle Ray's quickness alone.
On South Carolina's next possession, Ray beat Robinson, the left tackle, with an inside move to drop Thompson for a loss of 9 and help force yet another Gamecocks punt.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel has said NFL scouts have suggested to him that Golden and Ray are a better pass-rushing pair than Kony Ealy and Michael Sam, who were drafted from Missouri this year in the second and seventh rounds, respectively.
While Golden was held in check for most of the night, Ray recorded his seventh and eighth sacks of the season, which could lead the entire NCAA when official statistics are compiled Sunday. His six sacks entering the game tied him for third most in the NCAA.
As a defense, Missouri's highly regarded pass rush now has 18 sacks this season.
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