South Carolina has managed to turn around its season, bouncing back from two losses to forge a 4-2 record with a win over Kentucky. They enjoyed an off week last week, but the Gamecocks will now return to SEC play against a Texas A&M team which has been brought back to reality.
By Matt Zemek
Follow @14powerscom
A&M has lost to App State, Alabama, and Mississippi State, and it’s not even November. South Carolina has a chance to move up the board in the SEC and improve its bowl destination while putting A&M below the .500 mark.
Continue to manage Spencer Rattler
A shootout is not in the best interests of South Carolina or Spencer Rattler. Rattler is not a high volume passer. Changing expectations for him and downshifting to a less ambitious passing game has worked well for him and the Gamecocks. South Carolina leaned on its defense against a very limited Kentucky offense in its victory in Lexington. A&M has a similarly limited offense. The Gamecocks don’t need to try to score 40 points. They should steer this game through their defense once again. Rattler will become a better and more aggressive quarterback one day – maybe next season as a Gamecock – but for now, he is better served by playing within himself and the offense. Let the defense and his backfield help him out.
Speaking of that:
Continue to feed the rock to MarShawn Lloyd
This is likely going to remain a key to South Carolina’s success for the remainder of the season. As Lloyd goes, so go the Gamecocks. A big part of this reality is the pressure Lloyd takes off Rattler, who has proven he is not yet ready to win games solely with his arm. The balanced offense also gives defenses more to think about and leads to fewer turnovers, since Rattler isn’t passing as much. In the Gamecocks’ losses, Lloyd rushed for a combined 45 yards and 1 touchdown. Against Kentucky he had 110 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, which also set a new season high for carries.
Remain committed to the plan
South Carolina is pretty good at running the ball and playing defense against a comparable opponent which does not have high-end offensive weapons. You know who isn’t good at stopping the run? This week’s opponent, Texas A&M. The Aggies have the SEC’s second-worst rushing defense. Only the Auburn Tigers have a worse rushing defense, but the Aggies are giving them a (long-yardage) run for their money in 2022. The Aggies also can’t run the ball themselves, having the nation’s No. 101 rushing attack. This means South Carolina can use its ability to run the ball in tandem with Texas A&M’s inability to run the ball to formulate its ultimate game plan: control the clock and leverage key situations with good field position.
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