Five keys to an Aggie victory over the Gamecocks

No. 22 Texas A&M travels to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina to take on the streaky Gamecocks. Former A&M defender Justin Dunning gives his keys to a big Aggie road win.

As the bye week approaches, the No. 22 ranked Aggies (4-2) hope to add another W to the win
column. They head on the road into Columbia to take on the unranked South Carolina (3-2)
Gamecocks. Both teams are riding a wave of confidence and momentum into this weekend’s
matchup after huge wins vs SEC opponents last week.

The Aggies will face a familiar opponent Saturday, as they have played the eastern division Gamecocks annually, securing a perfect (4-0) series record against them since 2014. Here are the keys to victory if the Aggies want to push that series record to five straight wins!

1. Take care of the ball - TWO HANDS ON THE BALL AT ALL TIMES! This is a message that is preached at every top program around the country, and it is the message that our offense must have sewn into their memory this weekend. Six games into the season the Aggies are -7 in turnover margin, meaning that we have given away nine turnovers (5 INTs, 4 fumbles) while only taking away two interceptions on defense. This currently ranks them 120th in the nation.

South Carolina on the other hand has forced three turnovers in the last two weeks. In order to be victorious this weekend, we cannot afford to give them extra possessions. The major key to pulling this off is the second-year signal-caller Kellen Mond. He was handed the keys to the ship prior to week one, and he has been steadily sailing the Aggies to warmer waters ever since, despite running into a couple storms along the way. Based on the level of maturity and poise Kellen has shown in times of adversity this season, I have the utmost confidence in him to take care of the ball this weekend and lead this team to victory.

Matt Sachs, TexAgs

The Aggies need to improve their red zone efficency if they want to compete in the SEC West down the stretch. 

2. Capitalize on red-zone opportunities - Despite being the third-ranked team in the SEC in terms of total offense, the Aggies are ranked 105th in the country when it comes to scoring points in the red-zone. They have scored 24 times on 30 red-zone attempts, which doesn’t look bad on paper. However, when you put things into perspective and realize that we have made six trips to the red-zone that have resulted in no points, you recognize that this is an area we can improve in.

This is exciting because it means we have not played our best ball yet! In order to win big this weekend, we have to finish strong by capitalizing when we have a chance to get into the red zone. It is both possible and probable if we remember the famous saying, “Almost only counts when throwing horseshoes and hand grenades”.

3. Take advantage of inconsistent quarterback play - The quarterback situation for South Carolina this year has not been exactly ideal. Jake Bentley has had a decent season, throwing for 928 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He sat out last game because of a knee injury that he suffered vs Kentucky, but he is expected to be back to start vs the Aggies this week.

My educated guess is that he will be back because he wants to compete in this big game versus a top 25 opponent, but he will not be 100 percent healthy. I’m not the smartest man in the room, but I do know how to do basic math. A streaky quarterback + banged up knee = beautiful opportunity for the A&M defense. If the A&M pass rush can keep up the same intensity they have shown the past two weeks, it may allow our defensive backs to finally get their shine on in terms of interceptions.

Let me not fail to mention that this is the same quarterback who threw three interceptions in their 14 point loss to Kentucky a few weeks ago. It is only a matter of time until the opportunities will come for our defensive backs to make plays; we just have to capitalize when that time arrives.

4. Establish the run game early - Six games into the season, I can confidently say that the Aggies have established themselves as a dangerous threat running the football. The running attack, led by the SEC leading rusher Trayveon Williams (720 yd), currently ranks in the top 25 in the country. This has been one of the more satisfying things for me to see as a former player!

This weekend Williams and Co. will be called on to carry the load against a Gamecock defense that has struggled badly all year long. The South Carolina defense has allowed 194 ypg on the ground, ranking 13th in the conference. If we come out and take care of business this weekend, poor run defense will be South Carolina’s ultimate downfall.

5. Assert our dominance - On paper, the Aggies are obviously the better football team in this competition. However, the game this Saturday will be a battle to the very end. My fifth and final key to victory is undoubtedly going to be the most critical in this game. The Aggies must assert their dominance and show their opponent who is the better team. We all saw what happened in the close game versus Arkansas a few weeks ago.

We came out of the gate, guns a blazin’, getting a 14-0 lead early vs the Razorbacks, but then let them stick around in a game that should have been a blowout. Arkansas made a big play in the fourth quarter that gave a morale boost to their entire sideline and fan base! They nearly seized the momentum of the game, but the Aggies were lucky enough to come out with a win.

On the road in Columbia this Saturday, we cannot give the Gamecocks the confidence to compete with us. From opening kickoff until the fat lady sings, Jimbo will be preaching to his guys to compete every single play because every drive that we take it easy just adds fuel to the opponent’s fire. If the Aggies play to their potential this weekend and also bring the keychain with all of my keys to victory on it, they will fly back to College Station with a three game winning streak!

Game prediction - Aggies 31-23