Texas A&M Football: 3 Keys to an Aggie victory over South Carolina

Texas A&M Football squares off with cross-division “rival” South Carolina at Kyle Field on Saturday. Here are three things the Aggies need to do to secure the win.

In Week 4 the Aggies defeated Arkansas in a thrilling game at AT&T stadium, 50-43. Safety Armani Watts came through in the clutch (again) and picked off Austin Allen to end the game. The Aggies will be looking to push a three game winning streak to four in a row.

That was one incredible game. From despair in the first quarter, to excitement, and explosive plays to spring anyone out of their seat, it was a good one. Something about Jerryworld makes the Aggies and Razorbacks play close games. It also helps that the Aggies are undefeated against Beilema’s Arkansas team in the SEC.

Before we look at the keys to beat South Carolina, here were last week’s keys:

No.1 – Arkansas tight ends held to 50 yards or less

Austin Cantrell and Cheyenne O’Grady combined for 69 yards receiving. This is above that 50 mark set, but still pretty low. The Aggie defense did a good job of covering tight ends for the most part. Neither had a touchdown, but they averaged 17.5 yards per completion. This was due to some busts, some long runs, and some good schemes by Arkansas. They know how to use their tight ends effectively, and Texas A&M did a passable job at covering them. 0-1

No. 2 – Aggies get 5 “explosive plays”

I defined “explosive plays” as plays gaining 20+ yards. Christian Kirk had an 81 yard TD, Kellen Mond had a  89 yard TD 79 yard scamper, Damion Ratley had a 50 yard catch, Keith Ford blasted a 23 yard touchdown, then another 44 yard TD, and Chrisitan Kirk had himself a 100 yard kick return for a touchdown. That’s explosive. I expected more 20-30 yard runs to get tackled, but seeing vertical passes for touchdowns is not something I’ll ever complain about. It was sure fun to watch. 1-1

No. 3 – Four whole quarters

Even if the Aggies had a bad start to the game, they had a chance to make it up in overtime. I would give them credit for five whole quarters. This team put it all together, and they dropped 50 on a sound Arkansas defense. There were sputters and mistakes, but the team bounced back and answered when they had to. This was a great game for the team, and they should cherish it. 2-1

Here’s what to look for against Will Muschamp‘s South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.