FOOTBALL 2022: Eighth Week

Texas A&M coasted through its open date last Saturday, and goes on the road again to play at South Carolina tomorrow (6:30 PM on SEC Network). The gamecocks are 4-2, but three of their four wins came against small-time non-conference opponents. Kentucky was a win, but was playing without its talented star quarterback. Arkansas and Georgia handled the gamecocks fairly easily, so this could be A&M's best shot at a conference win on the remaining schedule. Still, it's best that nothing be taken for granted with this Aggie team.

The Aggies are a slight 3 1/2 point favorite as a visiting team, which says something about South Carolina's strength. The gamecocks suffer from turnover problems, which could be a factor in helping A&M deal with an inability to score (regardless of which quarterback is on the field). College Football News forecasts a tight game, with A&M holding on in the fourth quarter to escape with a 24-20 win. A&M was on the losing end of that score against Alabama. 

Updated 11:35 PM Saturday: I usually turn off A&M football games when the Aggies fall behind by 14 points. Most of the time, this allows me to not waste precious hours of my life watching them get pounded by another SEC team. The debacle at South Carolina was replaced by a Harrison Ford movie on the DVR with about ten minutes remaining in the first quarter. The sequence of events went like this:

• Gamecocks return opening kickoff 100 yards in 14 seconds, lead 7-0.
• First A&M possession ends with pass interception returned 60 yards, sets up short FG, SC leads 10-0
• Second A&M possession ends with lost fumble, sets up 19-yard TD drive, SC now leads 17-0 and I'm gone.
•  Final score, Aggies lose 30-24

Maybe next year. This looks like a season that could easily end 4-8 after losses to Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida and LSU. It's hard to believe now but in 2020, Haynes King was considered one of the hottest dual-threat QB prospects in that year's recruiting class.