South Carolina football vs. Texas A&M Aggies: Score prediction, scouting report

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football has never beaten Texas A&M in the eight-year history of the series, but will look to take advantage of positive momentum after a Week 6 upset of Kentucky.

The Gamecocks (4-2, 1-2 SEC) take on the Aggies (3-3, 1-2) at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m., SEC Network). Texas A&M beat South Carolina 44-14 last season in College Station, and the margin was even worse the last time the Aggies came to Columbia, beating the Gamecocks 48-3 in 2020.

Here's everything you need to know as South Carolina looks to get its first-ever win over the Aggies:

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Stopping the run game — again

South Carolina faced one of the SEC's best running backs in Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez before the open week, and it will take on another this week in Texas A&M's Devon Achane. The junior is on pace to surpass 1,000 rushing yards the season with 528 yards and three touchdowns over the first six games.

While size and physicality were Rodriguez's strengths, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Achane relies more on elite speed. He also competes in track and field for the Aggies and competed in the 100-meter dash at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor championships. Gamecocks players and coaches described Achane as "shifty," and he has high potential to create explosive plays.

The South Carolina defense held Rodriguez to a single rush over 20 yards, so the group is certainly capable of containing Achane. With the questions at quarterback, the star running back will likely be the key to the Aggies' offense.

Aggies' quarterback confusion

The Aggies are having a chaotic year at quarterback, but it seems likely that Haynes King will be the starter against the Gamecocks. King won the starting job in the preseason, but after A&M lost to Appalachian State in Week 2, he was benched in favor of junior Max Johnson. Three weeks later against Mississippi State, Johnson suffered a potentially season-ending broken hand.

King has struggled with injuries throughout his career — he missed most of the 2021 season with a season-ending injury after starting the first two games. He was seen limping after the Aggies' loss to Alabama, and though coach Jimbo Fisher said King is healthy enough to play this week, there's also a possibility that freshman Connor Weigman could start, or at least take some reps.

South Carolina fared well when Kentucky had to start redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron at quarterback due to Will Levis's foot injury, though King is a far more experienced QB2 than Sheron, who had never thrown a pass for the Wildcats. That also means there is plenty of film for the Gamecocks to study, a luxury they didn't have with Sheron.

Line of scrimmage battle

Texas A&M's defensive line features two freshmen from the Aggies' No. 1-ranked 2022 recruiting class: the nation's No. 2 prospect Walter Nolen and No. 9 prospect Shemar Stewart. Stewart has been particularly prolific as a pass rusher with a team-high four quarterback hurries and 1.5 sacks.

Sophomore lineman Fadil Diggs leads the group in tackles with 23 and is No. 3 on the team in sacks with two. However, the defensive line overall has struggled in the pass rush with only 10 total sacks, and South Carolina may provide an opportunity to raise those numbers.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler has taken 12 sacks, the third-most in the SEC. The Gamecocks' offensive line has shown significant improvement after poor showings in the first three games, but it has given up nine of 12 sacks against SEC opponents.

The importance of "vibes"

Both teams are coming off of an open week, which levels the "vibes" playing field a bit, but there's no question that the energy around South Carolina is higher than that of Texas A&M. The Aggies were ranked No. 7 in the preseason but did not even receive votes in last week's poll. The team lost two straight SEC games, including a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to Alabama, before the open week.

In contrast, South Carolina is on its first three-game winning streak since 2017. Before the open week, the Gamecocks earned their first win at No. 18 Kentucky's Kroger Field since 2012. The 24-14 victory was the first ranked win and first SEC road win of Beamer's tenure.

Texas A&M is the better team on paper, but morale and energy play a significant role in games like this, especially for South Carolina in a night game at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Prediction

Texas A&M 24, South Carolina 20: South Carolina has another sluggish start and Texas A&M takes advantage. The Gamecocks close the gap with an explosive third quarter, but red zone woes prevent them from catching the Aggies.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football vs. Texas A&M: Scouting report, score prediction