Gamecocks look to snap skid against No. 17 Texas A&M
South Carolina (4-3, 1-3 SEC) at No. 17 Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2), Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EDT (SECN).
Line: Texas A&M by 19 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Texas A&M 7-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Texas A&M looks to extend its overall winning streak to three games and improve to 8-0 all-time against the Gamecocks. A win by South Carolina would match their win total in conference play from last season after a win over Vanderbilt last week.
KEY MATCHUP
Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane vs. South Carolina’s run defense. Spiller and Achane combined for 292 yards rushing and three touchdowns last week. Now the duo faces a run defense that ranks 74th in the nation by allowing 151.4 yards rushing a game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Carolina: Former graduate assistant Zeb Noland will make his fourth start at QB. Noland started the first three games but was hurt Sept. 18 against Georgia and didn’t play again until leading a game-winning drive in the last minute against Vanderbilt. Luke Doty was injured against the Commodores and is out for the season after having foot surgery this week.
Texas A&M: WR Ainias Smith leads the team with 319 yards receiving and his six touchdown catches are tied for second in the SEC. He has 15 TD receptions in his career and is two shy of tying Mike Evans for seventh in school history.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Aggies have outscored South Carolina 78-9 in the last two meetings. … South Carolina is 3-11 against teams in Texas. The Gamecocks haven’t won a game in Texas since 1957. … South Carolina is tied for fifth in the nation with 10 interceptions this season. … Seventeen different receivers have caught a pass for the Gamecocks this season. … Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer needs 16 yards receiving to pass Martellus Bennett (1,246) for most yards receiving by a tight end in school history. … Texas A&M DB Antonio Johnson ranks second on the team with 51 tackles. … The Aggies scored 21 points in the first quarter at Missouri last week, which was the most they had scored in the opening period since 2016 against Tennessee.
