The South Carolina football team (4-3, 2-3 SEC) is looking to capitalize against the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) after defeating Oklahoma on Oct. 19.
The Gamecocks lost 30-17 to Texas A&M on the road during the 2023 season. And after coming off a conference win against Oklahoma in its last matchup, the Gamecocks are looking to seek not only redemption on the Aggies but are also eager to pull off an upset.
The Gamecocks have only won one out of its 10 matchups ever against the Aggies. Texas A&M is favored to win, with the Aggies being a 2.5 point favorite over the Gamecocks.
"We got a big challenge this week," head coach Shane Beamer said Tuesday. "(Texas A&M head coach) Elko has done a phenomenal job in year one. This is a team operating at a high level in all three phases, extremely talented, extremely well coached, coming off a huge win over LSU last Saturday night."
Texas A&M freshman quarterback Marcel Reed had nine carries and 62 rushing yards against LSU to help lead the Aggies to a 38-23 victory. In the second half of the game, he came off the bench and scored three touchdowns.
South Carolina, despite the bye week, is coming off its 35-9 win against Oklahoma. Freshman redshirt quarterback LaNorris Sellers passed for 175 yards and scored two defensive touchdowns in just the first quarter, contributing to the team’s win.
The road performance against Oklahoma gave the Gamecocks another conference win under the team’s belt fueled by defensive plays.
Junior defensive back safety Nick Emmanwori's two interceptions against the Sooners played a pivotal role to the Gamecocks' success. Emmanwori turned one of the interceptions into a 66-yard pick-six touchdown, and he also contributed 11 tackles and one tackle-for-loss.
"I think we're amped up, and we're ready to go, you know, we got a big game coming up," Emmanwori said. "It's a night game, they just beat LSU, so there's a lot of energy behind this week so I think we're ready as a defense."
Beamer said that while many are worried about overall team rankings, he isn’t too worried about where his team lies overall as he mainly focuses on the SEC statistics.
The statistics are most important to him and the evolution of his team, he said. The team has been studying the Aggies closely, since Texas A&M takes the No. 1 spot in the conference for rushing offense and defense for SEC games, as well as scoring offense, rushing attempts and turnover margins.
Beamer said the bye week has helped the team to work on both offense and defense, while having more extensive practices.
"We did a little bit more in practice last week than we did in the previous bye week," Beamer said. "Just to try and stay sharp and keep that momentum going."
But the players said they are ready to be back on the field after their massive win against Oklahoma after the week off.
"When you have a bye, you're not doing anything," senior defensive tackle Alex Huntley said. "You're not able to beat anybody so that feeling of just watching other teams win, or watching other guys do this, its kind of you just want to be out there so you can go win."
With just two wins away from becoming bowl-eligible and a tough upcoming schedule, the next five games will be crucial for South Carolina. Having some adjustments made to the team over the bye week based on there upcoming opponent will help contribute to the teams efficiency, Beamer said.
"This team will be judged and remembered by November," Beamer said.
Beamer said Tuesday that he expects Saturday's game to be tough and physical. Despite Texas A&M's physicality, senior linebacker Debo Williams said he feels he and his team are ready to take on the Aggies.
"I love the way they play ball man," Debo William said. "I can't wait to see them out there, I love it."
The Gamecocks are set to take on the Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC.