How does Texas A&M football match up with South Carolina?
Texas A&M football travels to Columbia this weekend to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is a huge matchup for both sides, as the Gamecocks are seeking a signature win and the Aggies are looking to tighten their grip on the SEC race.
So, how do these teams match up? Let's go through each unit, assigning an advantage and a score on a scale of 1-5—1 being a slight advantage and 5 being a total mismatch.
Texas A&M passing offense vs. South Carolina passing defense
The Gamecocks have a physical defensive back group, including star S Nick Emmanwori, that will make it tough for the Aggies to pass the ball if they play like they did last week. Teams have found success by manning up against the A&M receivers and daring them to throw the ball.
That said, the Gamecocks have two really good performances against the pass (Akron and Kentucky) and five where teams were right around their normal average. There is opportunity here, but I'm not sure the Ags are well-positioned right now to take advantage.
Advantage: South Carolina by 2
Texas A&M rushing offense vs. South Carolina rushing defense
Here's a spot where I think we see the Aggies make some noise. Though the Gamecocks have an extremely low YPC allowed compared to opponent averages, this has a lot to do with the number of sacks they roll up.
The advanced stats tell a different story. The rushing success rate allowed by the Gamecocks is 43%, worse than everyone in the conference except Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. The PPA/rush allowed by the Gamecocks is worse than everyone in the conference except for that group and Vanderbilt.
The Aggies have opportunity here as well. They absolutely must take advantage of the weakness on the ground in this game if they want to win.
Advantage: Texas A&M by 3
Texas A&M pass protection vs. South Carolina pass rush
South Carolina is third in the nation in sack rate, just behind Boise State and Virginia Tech. The Aggies are 32nd in the nation in sack rate allowed, but things didn't look amazing for them against LSU. I'll give a decent edge to the Gamecocks here, out of respect for their dynamic edge players, but I don't foresee this being as huge of a factor as some do.
Advantage: South Carolina by 2