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Texas A&M Football: 3 Reasons the Aggies will Beat South Carolina

By Graham Harmon

Oct 1, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Moose Muhammad III (7) reacts with offensive lineman Reuben Fatheree II (76) after a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Moose Muhammad III (7) reacts with offensive lineman Reuben Fatheree II (76) after a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 8, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Devon Achane (6) runs against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Devon Achane (6) runs against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

The Aggie ground game will feature prominently

It’s no secret that Aggie tailback Devon Achane is the best offensive weapon the Texas A&M football team possesses.  And, for all the consternation surrounding the offense, the run game actually hasn’t been all that bad thus far this season.  According to my data, the Aggies, in 5 games against FBS competition this season, have exceeded the average Yards Per Carry allowed by their opponent in 4 of them (notching 95.64% of the number against Mississippi State), and have earned at least 125% of that mark in 3 of those.  In other words, it’s a safe bet that the Aggies will exceed what a team tends to give up on the ground on a per-carry basis, often by a significant amount— on average, the Aggies are notching 120% of opponent averages when it comes to YPC allowed.

So how does South Carolina stack up in this regard?  The Gamecocks average giving up 4.28 YPC.  As far as opponent averages go, however, they’re closer to the middle of the pack— the Gamecocks give up 96% of opponent rushing averages to FBS competition, with only Charlotte and Arkansas failing to meet their respective averages against Carolina.

In a more big-picture look at this particular matchup, the Gamecocks field an aggressive defense that has the potential to get out of position quickly.  With a speedy back like Achane, the Aggies really stand a chance to make South Carolina pay with a couple of big runs.  Of course, concerns about health along the offensive line are definitely germane here, but I think that guys like Wykoff and Dewberry have been forged in the fire enough to put up a good performance against this South Carolina front.  Give me A&M running for 150+ in this game, with Achane breaking off a 40-yarder (or longer) and some combination of Weigman and King adding a good chunk as well.