Gamecocks Vying For First Ever Win Against Aggies
Head coach Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks got one proverbial monkey off their back in week six when they defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, ending a two-game losing streak overall and securing their first win in Kroger Field since 2012.
This week, recent history will favor the Gamecocks even less, as they'll be taking on an inconsistent Texas A&M squad who, despite the struggles they've had this season, are undefeated in their series with South Carolina, dating back to its inception in 2014.
When sixth-year offensive lineman Eric Douglas was asked if there was any extra motivation for the game, he acknowledged the game's significance while imploring the importance of maintaining a business-like approach.
"This is what you dreamed of growing up, playing in the SEC; this is one of those games. [They're a] big-time SEC program. They've got a good history. We just got to go out there and just treat this like another game. You can't think about 'what extra stuff could we do to go out there and win.' You just got to do your job."
The topic was broached again with another senior, defensive lineman Zacch Pickens. Unlike Eric, Zacch fully admitted that the game holds more weight, and having the winless streak against the Aggies continue during his career in Columbia has weighed on his mind.
"Oh yeah, that's our main goal right now, just trying to figure out what we need to do to beat Texas A&M. For me, this is a big game because I've been here for four years. I've never beat them, never came close, and I feel like this is our year that we can finally get close to winning."
Head coach Shane Beamer was later asked about the losing streak at his press conference and gave props to A&M for how they've played in the series while not denying that the stat can serve as external motivation for the team heading into Saturday night.
"We haven't [defeated them], and that's certainly disappointing. That's a game that we need to win at some point, but [I] also made the point that that has nothing to do with the 2022 game... every year's different, but give credit to A&M. They've been better than us… and we need to play and coach a lot better than we have in the past. Anytime you can have the opportunity to do something you haven't done [in the past], that's motivation."
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