Coming off its second bye-week of the 2024 season, the South Carolina football team is hosting the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night.
The Gamecocks are looking to carry momentum from a dominant 35-9 win against the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 19 into their matchup against the Aggies.
The Daily Gamecock spoke to Luke White, the sports editor of The Battalion, Texas A&M’s student newspaper, to discuss the upcoming matchup between the Gamecocks and the Aggies. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
The Daily Gamecock: Where do you see Texas A&M now, as opposed to where you saw them at the beginning of the season?
White: “I think (Texas) A&M is in a really good spot, especially after opening the season with a close home loss to Notre Dame. I think A&M has done a lot of the right things to right the ship and get back to where it wants to be ... I think, during the preseason, I had pretty high hopes for A&M. But I think even if you had told me A&M would be at 6-1 heading into (their matchup against LSU), I would think that they were in a pretty good spot. I think they would have a good thing going for them if that was their record.”
Has freshman quarterback Marcel Reed effectively won the starting job after replacing sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman and winning against LSU?
“I think we saw against LSU when Marcel Reed enters that game and Connor Weigman is benched, it feels like everything changed. Everything kind of flipped the switch on both the offensive and defensive end. Reed really ignited the offense and, in turn, that’s when the complementary football started, and the defense really started making a stand against (Junior quarterback) Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense. I think this was a chance for A&M to really show what it’s capable of, beating its second top-10 team of the season.”
Junior defensive lineman Nic Scourton came in from Purdue and immediately made an impact on the Aggies' defense. What’s it like having a game-stopper like that on the defensive front?
“I think it’s big time, because Scourton is a guy that can really change the outcome of the game with one play. You saw it exactly with Arkansas, when he (had) a strip sack and A&M recovered the fumble to seal the win ... Scourton is definitely the leader (of the defensive line), and it’s a really cool story. Him, being a local guy from Bryan, (Texas), five miles away from Kyle Field, he doesn’t get offered by (head coach Mike) Elko and A&M ... goes to Purdue and leads the Big 10 in sacks last year. Then he’s making his homecoming and making the most of it, because he’s certainly the leader of that defense and the defensive line.”
Is there any sort of angst going up against South Carolina? Or do you feel like now that Texas A&M beat LSU, it will be a little bit easier?
“I think it’s still going to be a really tough game, especially being on the road at Williams-Brice Stadium. A&M lost there two years ago, and the players still talk about when they’ve been asked this season, ‘What’s the craziest and most difficult environment you’ve played in?’ I think everyone has named South Carolina in that category ... South Carolina might be ... the best three-loss team out there, with how they played against teams like LSU and at Alabama, they’ve had some really close losses in there that maybe don’t tell the whole story of how they played and how they’ve played this season ... So it’ll be a really tough test for A&M, no doubt.”
Who is a Texas A&M player who’s under-the-radar, who could have some big time plays against South Carolina?
“I think one guy that’s really flown under the radar for A&M is ... (graduate student) kicker Randy Bond has been really impressive ... He’s been as consistent as he’s been since he’s been the Aggies’ starter for the past couple of years. I think, in a tight game ... where maybe it comes down to a field goal here and there, Randy Bond gives A&M lot of confidence. His consistency, I think is going to be really important in a game like this.”
Score prediction?
“I think … it’s on the road, it’s a tough environment. I’m thinking 35-27 Texas A&M. I think the Aggies pull out the win, but South Carolina is going to make it really, really hard no doubt.”