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There are games which make or break football programs… and so far this season, South Carolina has dropped two of them. In fairness, one of them was stolen – but the other was a straight up embarrassment.
Will the third time be the charm?
Facing one of the most brutal schedules in the country, fourth-year head football coach Shane Beamer has certainly managed (mildly exceeded?) expectations thus far with a pair of road upsets against unranked conference foes – and a near-upset of No. 7 Alabama on the road two weeks ago.
But an embarrassing home loss to No. 11/12 Ole Miss earlier this month took a lot of air out of the proverbial balloon – and a similar deflating experience potentially looms as No. 10/11 Texas A&M rolls into town.
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The lone undefeated team in SEC play, the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) have reeled off seven straight victories following a season-opening loss to No. 7 Notre Dame. They enter Williams-Brice Stadium as 3.5-point favorites over the Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 SEC) – a team they’ve lost to just once in ten meetings.
Meanwhile, South Carolina will be looking for its first win over a ranked opponent this season. Actually, Beamer is winless against ranked foes dating back to 2022’s upset win over arch-rival Clemson. Through three-and-a-half seasons, Beamer is 3-14 against ranked opponents – including a 44-14 road loss to the Aggies in his first season in Columbia.
Should South Carolina lose to Texas A&M, Beamer’s record against ranked opponents through four seasons would be identical to the 3-15 mark posted by former head coach Will Muschamp prior to his ouster nearly four years ago.
Holding the Gamecocks back? Coordinator Dowell Loggains‘ offense…
Heading into Saturday’s showdown, South Carolina ranks No. 104 nationally in total offense – averaging an anemic 346.9 yards per game. The Gamecocks are faring much better in terms of scoring offense (No. 66 overall with 28.6 points per game), but significant credit for that metric lies on the other side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Clayton White‘s unit has contributed mightily to those scoring numbers – both in terms of defensive touchdowns and turnovers yielding short fields.
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White’s defense ranks No. 22 nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 18.7 points per game. The Gamecocks are even stingier when it comes to total defense, ranking No. 13 nationally (surrendering just 298.3 yards per game). Turnovers are a key part of that effort, with South Carolina tied for No. 12 nationally with sixteen takeaways. Everything starts with pressure up front, though. Through seven games, White’s unit is tied for No. 3 nationally with 28 total sacks – including 8.5 for fifth-year senior Kyle Kennard, who ranks third nationally in individual sacks.
Texas A&M is coming off of a thrilling 38-23 come-from-behind win over No. 8 LSU – a game in which backup freshman quarterback Marcel Reed stole the show with three rushing touchdowns. Reed – who won SEC Freshman of the Week honors – ran nine times for 62 yards in leading the Aggies back from a 17-7 deficit midway through the third quarter.
He also dropped a dime to wide receiver Noah Thomas on this gorgeous deep ball in the fourth quarter…
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??? @Marcel10Reed ?? @Thomas3Noah
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) October 27, 2024
? ABC#GigEm | #BTHOlsu pic.twitter.com/NWyteAft4R
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Reed will be tested against the Gamecocks’ bruising front four, which features another havoc-wreaking defensive end in true freshman Dylan Stewart. The young quarterback will also be throwing against arguably the best defensive back in America right now – junior safety Nick Emmanwori. A native of Irmo, S.C., Emmanwori has recorded four interceptions this season – two of which he returned for touchdowns. Our audience will recall Emmanwori was robbed of another score – a 100-yard pick six against LSU – following a terrible call from the SEC officiating crew.
The team’s leading tackler, Emmanwori is projected as a potential first round NFL draft pick given his combination of size (6-foot-3, 227 pounds) and speed (he’s been clocked running as fast as 22 miles per hour this season).
“His size-speed combination is exactly what NFL defensive coordinators love on the back end,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. noted in his latest draft board, which had Emmanwori rated No. 25 overall. “He jumps off the tape, and his ball skills are tremendous.”
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Emmanwori will have a chance to shine on Saturday (November 2, 2024) as South Carolina and Texas A&M are playing under the lights at Williams-Brice. Kickoff has been set for 7:30 p.m. EDT with ABC providing national television coverage. Sean McDonough is handling play-by-play duties, Greg McElroy will provide commentary and Molly McGrath is working the sidelines.
Assuming Beamer’s team can upset the Aggies, multiple difficult games remain on South Carolina’s 2024 slate. Upstart Vanderbilt entered the top 25 last week and gave No. 5 Texas all it could handle at home last weekend. South Carolina must travel to Nashville on November 9 for what could wind up as another road game against a ranked foe – depending on how the Commodores fare this weekend on the road against unranked Auburn.
The Gamecocks also have difficult contests remaining at home against No. 25 Missouri and on the road against No. 8/11 Clemson.
Will “Beamerball” finish strong? Or will South Carolina fade down the stretch and miss out on a bowl game for the second straight season. Answers to come… starting Saturday.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
They did not get robbed. Dude hit LSU QB with a blindside block, which was also targeting. Rule change makes blindside blocks illegal. Maybe the cheerleader (beamer) should teach his players this thing called “discipline”?