After bye, South Carolina aims for first win in series vs. Texas A&M
South Carolina is seeking its first four-game winning streak since 2013 while Texas A&M will try to halt a two-game losing skid when they meet Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference matchup in Columbia, S.C.
The Gamecocks (4-2, 1-2 SEC) beat Kentucky 24-14 on the road in their last outing while the Aggies (3-3, 1-2) lost 24-20 at Alabama when Haynes King’s pass into the end zone on their final play fell incomplete.
Both teams are coming off bye weeks, which might seem to favor the Gamecocks. They are 14-3 after open dates since 2009 while the Aggies are 9-9 after open dates in the same stretch.
But the Aggies lead the series 8-0, with one of the wins after a bye in 2019.
“They’ve been better and we need to play and coach a lot better than we have in the past,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. “Certainly, any time when you have the opportunity to do something you haven’t done, that’s motivation.”
The time away from playing games could help the Gamecocks get some players back from nagging injuries, but Beamer said that receiver Corey Rucker (foot) remains out. The Arkansas State transfer has played in only one game and has just one catch, but it was for a 52-yard touchdown.
Beamer also confirmed that safety R.J. Roderick, who has been limited to three games (one start) because of an arm injury, is no longer with the team.
The Aggies began the year with high hopes after being ranked No. 6 in the AP preseason poll, but losses to Appalachian State and Mississippi State quickly knocked them out of the Top 25. Coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t consider the close loss to then No. 1 Alabama as a “moral victory” but does see some good in it.
“I think it shows you what we’re capable of and how we can do things,” Fisher said. “But we have to find a way to make those plays to get over the hump in any of the three phases of what we do.”
South Carolina leads the nation in blocked punts with five.
–Field Level Media
