Texas A&M vs South Carolina prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 8, Saturday, October 22
Texas A&M vs South Carolina How To Watch
Date: Saturday, October 22
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: Texas A&M (3-3), South Carolina (4-2)
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Texas A&M vs South Carolina Game Preview
Why Texas A&M Will Win
It’s not a question of whether or not the South Carolina turnovers will come. They’ll be there, but how many? It has yet to go a game this year without turning it over at least twice.
Texas A&M tends to play relatively low scoring, tight games with mistakes like the obligatory Spencer Rattler giveaway baked into the gameplan.
Now it’s up to the Aggies to not give them back. The two turnovers in row load to Appalachian State were part of the problem, and the four against Mississippi State helped turn the game into a rout.
Grind away with the running game against a defensive front that gives up 175 yards per game, keep the score low, and win the mistake battle.
South Carolina is 0-2 when it’s -3 in turnover margin. Texas A&M was +3 against Alabama, but …
Why South Carolina Will Win
The Aggie defense doesn’t take the ball away in bunches.
South Carolina can’t be conservative, but it can’t force anything. Rattler wasn’t able to do much of anything in the loss to Georgia, but he got time against Charlotte and South Carolina State to tune up a bit, and he was sharp enough to complement the ground game in the win over Kentucky.
He’ll turn it loose a few times to stretch the A&M secondary, but as long as he’s able to hit the third down throws and come up with a few early scores, he’ll be doing his job.
Texas A&M is struggling to score – it’s last in the SEC in points per game. That’s partly because of the style, and partly because it’s missing the high-octane playmakers.
South Carolina is getting the O going at just the right time, but …
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What’s Going To Happen
The Gamecocks got Kentucky without Will Levis. No excuses, win with what you’ve got, but that wasn’t the same Wildcat team without the top five overall draft pick QB.
They beat Charlotte and South Carolina State, and they started the season off by taking down Georgia State.
Again, win no matter what, you are what your record says you are, and …
It’s not like South Carolina has beaten a slew of killers, losing to Arkansas by 14 and Georgia by 41.
Texas A&M was at least competitive against Alabama, and it was fine against Mississippi State before the turnovers kicked in. Beating Arkansas and Miami isn’t amazing, but it’s something.
This is the fourth straight game away from home for the Aggies, and they’ll be fine as long as they can come up with a few first half scoring drives.
It’ll be tight until the end with A&M’s defense holding up in the final few minutes with a takeaway.
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Texas A&M vs South Carolina Prediction, Line
Texas A&M 24, South Carolina 20
Line: Texas A&M -3.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Texas A&M vs South Carolina Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
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