‘We Take That Seriously!’ How Texas A&M Aggies’ Edgerrin Cooper Helped Keep Spencer Rattler At Bay
If besting the South Carolina Gamecocks at home was a test, the Texas A&M Aggies passed it with flying colors.
After taking the bye week to regroup from back-to-back losses to Alabama and Tennessee, coach Jimbo Fisher’s squad needed a win, less it risked being the center of negative attention again.
But luckily for the Aggies, they got the win they needed. And it was largely due to their defense — specifically Edgerrin Cooper.
Cooper finished his outing against the Gamecocks with a team-high seven tackles, making his presence known.
The Texas A&M defense was once again stellar on Saturday vs. South Carolina
©️ Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports
As a whole, Texas A&M kept South Carolina senior star Spencer Rattler at bay — relatively speaking. On the afternoon, the senior tallied just 176 yards and one touchdown with a rating of 39.0.
And while that performance isn’t anything Rattler is used to, Cooper says stopping him was the Aggies’ plan all along.
“Going on three weeks, we had our list of objectives for the game,” Cooper said. “And one of our objectives was to affect the QB. We take that very seriously and feel like we got that job done.”
The Aggies’ defense told the story of the game, right down to the very end.
After taking a sizeable lead in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks put together some offense and made it just a one-score game.
But that was as close as they got.
The last three drives for South Carolina resulted in two turnovers on downs and one fumble — the latter of which led to Cooper spearheading a celebration as his Aggies secured the victory.
“The energy, at that point, Coach [Fisher] always said we need to have fun,” Cooper said. So obviously, when things are going good, we're having fun out there.”
“I was just out there celebrating with my brothers,” he added. “It keeps the momentum on and goes to the offense. Everybody is happy. We just have to keep the energy going.”
With the win, the Aggies broke their two-game losing streak and gained much-needed momentum heading into their matchup against Ole Miss next week, when a win will only be even more important to finish the season on a high note.
And just like all of its other games this season, Texas A&M will be led by its defense, and, by proxy, Cooper.
But that’s nothing new to him. That’s just his job, which he is absolutely prepared to do next Saturday against the Rebels.
“[It’s] as simple as doing our assignment,” Cooper said. “It feels good. We all want to make plays. We just know, If you just do your job, all plays will come to you.
“Just play hard, play relentless, give 100 perfect effort, and do what you need to do.”
