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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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When Texas A&M Football is on offense vs South Carolina

The defense is without a doubt the weakness for the Gamecocks. They are nothing short of absolutely porous on that side of the ball, allowing the highest success rate in the conference both by raw number and opponent-adjusted measures—worse than even Vanderbilt. Though they only give up 82% of opponent averages on the ground on a YPC basis, they allow teams to exceed their normal rushing success rate by about 2% on average, meaning that teams may not have as many big rushing plays as normal, but they are able to consistently stay ahead of the chains on the ground. This is great news for a Texas A&M football team that desperately needs to get some consistency going on the ground—if Moss, Daniels, and Owens can get some things rolling in that facet of the game, this will be a dangerous offense. The Gamecocks allow a 45% success rate on rushing plays; most of the conference is down in the 30s by this metric, and the only team worse in the SEC is LSU at 46%. For context, Alabama and Tennessee allow 33% and 32% respectively. If the Aggies can’t get the rushing attack rolling here, you have to begin to question whether they will at all.

Somehow, the rush defense is the superior aspect of the Gamecocks unit. The pass defense is even worse, allowing a 49% success rate when opponents throw the ball (conference average: 40%; Tennessee averages allowing 38% and Alabama 33%). For further context, the Aggies have averaged over 49% passing success rate only twice this year: against Arkansas and ULM, meaning if they just operate at average levels against the Gamecocks, they will be in business. Carolina has held only two Power 5 teams under 8 YPA this year, and if the Aggie ground game is rolling, their pass game will doubtless be as well: Max Johnson operates best in favorable down and distances and with a good play action game to rely on (as I have been saying almost every week since he took the job over). The plain fact of the matter, too, is that the Gamecock corners cannot cover the Aggie WRs. They just don’t match up physically—there is no Jaycee Horn or Cam Smith on this Carolina defense. If the Aggies can stay ahead of schedule, they will be just fine on offense.