Texas A&M Looks to Stay Hot Against South Carolina

The #10 Texas A&M Aggies head into Columbia, South Carolina coming off of seven-straight wins.

After a comeback win over the then #8 LSU Tigers in College Station, the Aggies (7-1) sit atop the SEC as the only undefeated (5-0) team in the conference.

The South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3) look to shut down the nation’s ninth-best rushing attack and tenth-best team overall Saturday night in Williams-Brice Stadium.

Lights on. Game on. pic.twitter.com/Yb44Sf5xPj

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) October 28, 2024

Major Question Under Center

A&M’s 38-23 win over LSU was only made possible by a quarterback change in the third quarter. Starter Conner Weigman struggled to just 6/18 passes completed and 64 yards with the Aggies down by 10 points before backup Marcel Reed stepped into the game.

However, Reed did his damage on the ground, rushing for three touchdowns and only attempting two passes.

Reed had previously stepped in at quarterback after Weigman dealt with a shoulder injury earlier this season. The Aggies went 3-0 in Reed’s games against Florida, Bowling Green, and Arkansas.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko answered questions about how his team has handled the quarterback dilemma leading up to Saturday’s game.

Regardless of who is throwing the ball for the Aggies, their focus will clearly be on running the ball early and often. Averaging nearly 222 rushing yards per game this season, running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels are the biggest threat to the Gamecocks on offense.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer talked about what his team is preparing for when possibly facing multiple quarterbacks.

Struggle with Ranked Opponents

South Carolina’s three losses this season have all come to ranked SEC opponents while the Gamecocks have dominated against unranked opponents.

However, losing by two points at #7 Alabama and three against #16 LSU shows that South Carolina is more than talented enough to give Texas A&M a challenge on Saturday.

The Gamecocks strong rush defense – allowing only 102 yards per game – would need to stifle the Aggies on the ground to keep the game tight.

Coach Beamer commented on the environment at Williams-Brice Stadium and how that will impact Saturday’s matchup.

Upset Alert?

Coming off a bye week and a dominant defensive performance against Oklahoma two weeks ago, South Carolina comes into this primetime matchup as confident as they have been all season. The question is: can they slow down an A&M team that looks ready for their first College Football Playoff Birth?

The #10 Aggies will look for an eighth straight win Saturday at 7:30 pm in Columbia as the Gamecocks hope to shock the SEC leaders.