The Shamcocks homecoming game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Williams-Brice.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No matter the performance, good or bad, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko feels his team will come back with the same focus to be better next time.
He said that won’t change after the No. 10 Aggies had their best finish of the year.
“I think that means the message is getting through,” Elko said this week. “We approached this with the mindset that we need to get better every week.”
The Aggies (7-1), the only undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference, are 5-0 as of late and are on track to play in the league title game against South Carolina (4-3-2). He is receiving praise because he is aiming to move forward. 3) Shamcock Homecoming Game on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Elko heard that message from several players while preparing for the week, and also from backup QB Marcell Reed after leading a second-half rally to beat LSU 38-23 a week ago. I heard.
“Marcel is on national television talking about his next opportunity,” Elko said. “I think they are bound by our abilities.”
To get there, Texas A&M will have to get past the Gamecocks, who gave LSU and Alabama a scare this season and won at Oklahoma last time out.
LSU scored with less than two minutes left to escape from a 36-33 win at Williams-Brice Stadium two months ago. At Alabama, the Gamecocks were close to closing the game, but an interception gave the Crimson Tide a 27-25 victory.
South Carolina-Oklahoma coach Shane Beamer said the win gave his team more confidence that it can accomplish something in the final month of the season.
“We know we have five games left to finish the season and everything is in front of us,” he said. “I don’t talk about the big picture other than that. What matters is this week.”
Defensive end Nick Skorton is off to a strong start in his first season at Texas A&M after transferring from Purdue. The projected first-round NFL Draft pick has 10 tackles for loss and four sacks in five SEC games, ranking him second nationally and first in the SEC with 12.5 tackles for loss overall this season. are.
Shumcox had a school-record nine sacks in the win over Oklahoma. Edge rusher Kyle Kennard, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is tied for the top in the SEC with 8.5 sacks. Freshman Dylan Stewart ranks ninth in the SEC with 4.5 sacks.
The Aggies have excelled at running the ball and stopping the run this season. He was great in these categories against LSU, accumulating 242 yards rushing and holding the Tigers to just 24 yards rushing.
“It takes us back to what it was like when we started this league and when we were playing against these guys,” Elko said. “This is a powerful expression of how far our physicality has come.”
Texas A&M’s rushing attack, led by Le’Veon Moss, ranks ninth in the nation with an average of 221.5 rushing yards per game. The Aggies allow 104.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 18th in the nation.
South Carolina junior Nick Emanwori led the SEC with four interceptions, two of which went to running back and scored a pick-six. They might have gotten the third point had Emanwoli’s interception and dash to the end zone not been overturned by a Gamecocks penalty. During this time, he has increased his profile in the NFL Draft, but said he is focused on finishing the season on a strong note.
Elco wasn’t sure whether Marcell Reed or Connor Weigman would start at quarterback this week. Weigman started last week but was benched in place of Reid, who led the Aggies to a 31-6 lead over LSU.
“They’re going to put Reed in and do something different, definitely,” South Carolina’s Beamer said. “We have to have a good plan for both of us. For us, it starts with who is the quarterback. We have to impact him.”
AP Sports Writer Christy Rieken contributed to this report.