South Carolina Football: Ranking each game on the Entertainment Scale
South Carolina Football’s No. 6 Most Entertaining Game of 2023:
Texas A&M Aggies
Last year’s matchup between the two teams was monumental, marking the Gamecocks’ first ever win over the Aggies, ever. Xavier Legette’s kickoff return produced perhaps the loudest sound ever recorded at Williams-Brice, while South Carolina football managed a 30-24 victory despite being outgained by over 100 yards. The game was in the midst of what turned into a 6-game losing streak for the Aggies, and it turned into a lost season. Even with the best recruiting class of all time, Jimbo Fisher’s 5th year at the helm was an unmitigated disaster. While an upset home win over LSU in the last game of the year ended the season on a relative high note, the 5-7 season cannot be called any type of success in any way, shape, or form.
This year, the Aggies are hoping to prove the past season was simply an aberration in the grand scheme of things. Jimbo Fisher has brought in the much-maligned yet offensively-gifted Bobby Petrino to run the team’s offense, and a good chunk of last year’s starters will grace the sidelines again this year. Is that necessarily a good thing, considering the team went 5-7? That can be debated. One issue is Devon Achane leaving, as he was the rock for a struggling offense most of the year. They could rely on Amari Daniels to take over the carries but Achane’s role isn’t really one that can be replicated with this year’s running back room.
In the quarterback room, however, Connor Weigman returns, and he’s been garnering attention as a name to watch around the conference. He had an up and down freshman season, but that was to be expected when tossed into the dumpster fire that was 2022 Texas A&M. He’s had a whole offseason with the coaching staff to improve, and he should be an x-factor for the Aggies this season.
Defensively, the A&M front seven could pose big problems for the Gamecocks, not just in the run game but also pressuring Spencer Rattler in passing situations. The South Carolina football team will need to bring their A-game to College Station if they want to repeat last season’s result. It should be a close game, and with close to 100,000 at Kyle Field, the atmosphere will be electric, just like last year in Williams-Brice.