Final thoughts, prediction for South Carolina’s crucial game at Texas A&M

There’s a trophy up for grabs on Saturday.

Wait, really? Yes, I swear. It exists — at least in theory.

Heading to College Station, Texas, for a date with No. 17 Texas A&M, South Carolina has a chance to stake its first claim to the James Bonham Trophy in eight tries.

Never mind just about every USC representative who spoke with reporters this week was unaware the trophy is real. Don’t bother that the trophy itself spends more time in the underbelly of The Alamo than on Texas A&M’s campus.

This is a bragging rights game, dammit. It’s important.

OK, this isn’t exactly South Carolina-Clemson. Frankly, it’s not even USC-Wofford. But sitting two games shy of bowl eligibility heading into the final five games of the season, the Gamecocks are teetering on the edge of their postseason aspirations.

For the fourth time this fall, South Carolina will be led by graduate assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland under center after starting signal-caller Luke Doty went down with a season-ending foot injury last week against Vanderbilt.

Noland has been solid enough in his two full starts this fall, completing 26-of-45 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns in wins over Eastern Illinois and East Carolina. But Texas A&M is far from an FCS foe or a middle-of-the-road Group of Five squad.

The Aggies enter the weekend holding opposing quarterbacks to a meager 60.3 completion percentage. Directed by defensive coordinator Mike Elko — who, coincidentally, worked with South Carolina offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield at Richmond and UT-Chattanooga — Texas A&M has allowed 110 yards or less passing three times this fall. It’s also averaging at least one interception per game in 2021.

While Noland has his hands full under center, South Carolina has to get more from running backs Kevin Harris and Juju McDowell, assuming they’re both available.

Harris was dinged up in the win over Vanderbilt, but has hardly had an encore season to remember after leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing a season ago. The Georgia native is currently averaging just 39.17 yards per game and has only eclipsed the 50-yard mark once this year.

Injuries and illness have played a part in Harris’ ineffectiveness, but it doesn’t change the fact he ran for more than 50 yards in every game last season except, naturally, a 48-3 throttling by the same Aggies squad he’ll see this weekend.

McDowell missed last week’s game due to an undisclosed disciplinary issue. Head coach Shane Beamer said he expects the shifty tailback to be available Saturday. McDowell has been the clear-cut No. 2 back behind Harris when all things have been settled. The Gamecocks could use the speed and spark he brings to the table Saturday.

Defensively, South Carolina has fallen back to earth a touch over the past two weeks. Tennessee torched USC for almost 400 yards and 38 points in the first half on Rocky Top before in-game adjustments settled things down.

South Carolina followed up that performance by allowing Vanderbilt to gain more than 300 total yards for the fifth time this season. The Commodores’ 5.2 average yards per play were also the most they’ve recorded in a game this year aside from a meeting with college football cellar-dweller UConn.

Texas A&M enters the week slotted 12th in the SEC in total offense. Ranking aside, the Aggies have found their stride of late under quarterback Zach Calzada and a talented tandem of tailbacks in Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher’s squad is now just two weeks removed from racking up almost 400 yards of offense in an upset of then-No. 1 Alabama. The Aggies then added a 431-yard outburst against Missouri last week for good measure.

Jokes at the top aside, the Bonham Trophy itself actually has a fascinating history. It’s named after James Bonham, a South Carolina graduate who died defending The Alamo.

Whether USC’s staffers and players (and this reporter, if we’re being honest) actually know what the Bonham Trophy is doesn’t really matter when the ball is kicked on Saturday.

The Gamecocks head into this one as three-touchdown underdogs for a reason. A win would shock just about everyone in the college football stratosphere. More likely, though, Texas A&M will bring its beloved hardware back to The Alamo for another season.

James Bonham’s final stand took place on Lone Star State soil. The trophy honoring his sacrifice will remain there, too, at least for one more year.

— Prediction: Texas A&M 42, South Carolina 17 —