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FULL PREVIEW – Texas A&M Football vs. South Carolina

By Graham Harmon

Oct 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Spencer Rattler, upcoming opponent for Texas A&M Football
Oct 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Full Preview of Upcoming Opponent for Texas A&M Football

After what has seemed to be an exceptionally long bye week for Texas A&M football, they will square off this Saturday at 11 AM CT against their hated cross-division rival, the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Aggies need a win badly, as the past two games have gone poorly—though just barely so, as both were one-score affairs. Regardless of the margin, though, the Aggies sustained losses in both games, and now find themselves in the midst of a season on the brink in the minds of many fans.

South Carolina have had their own struggles. After a season where the Gamecocks closed with two wins over top-10 opponents in Tennessee and Clemson, SC lost several major offensive contributors to the portal and defensive contributors to the draft. Nevertheless, Columbia saw an influx of talent from a (relatively speaking) highly-ranked recruiting class, and Spencer Rattler was returning for one more year along with a formidable receiving corps. Despite a tough schedule looming, this was enough to give hope to many Gamecock fans.

Despite this, the season has gone about as poorly as it could have up until this point at South Carolina. The Gamecocks were competitive for a half against both North Carolina and Georgia (two of their first three games!) but ended up losing both in a disappointing fashion. In the latter game, top WR Juice Wells went down with a foot injury from which he has yet to return. The Gamecocks notched home wins over Mississippi State and Furman, but have suffered setbacks against Missouri, Tennessee, and Florida—a game which they led by 10 with less than 5 minutes to go.

The upshot is this: these are two teams that are both trying to get back on track. A loss for Texas A&M football would put them at .500 for the season; a loss for South Carolina would give them their sixth loss. So who’s going to win? We know the Aggies are favored, but how do the teams match up on each side of the ball? Let’s take a look.