South Carolina looks to snap its four-game losing streak after a 30-14 loss to then-No. 7 Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Nov. 1. They will face No. 3 Texas A&M this weekend.
The Daily Gamecock spoke to The Battalion Associate Sports Editor Matthew Seaver about the upcoming matchup. The game will kick off at noon and will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Daily Gamecock: Texas A&M is ranked No. 3 in the nation and is 9-0 for the first time since 1992. What’s made this year’s team so successful?
Seaver: “The biggest message that coach (Mike) Elko has sent about the team this year is finishing. They got to a point last season, they were 7-1 last season, and I think finished 8-5. And coach Elko, even from game one this season, has preached finishing within the team. Whether it's individual games or the season as a whole, they are going to finish out to their fullest extent."
"And I've talked at press conferences to him about building that kind of mentality within the team. And it's sort of (a), 'You have to do it to believe it' kind of thing, and that the players have now seen and proved to themselves that they are capable of winning these big time games in close environments. And so I think that has been the biggest difference for this team for the past 30 years.”
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed is fourth in passing touchdowns in the SEC. How has he helped the offense this year?
“He's taken a big step up as a passer for sure. Also, you can tell he actually got an offseason as the full time starter because he sort of stepped in last season for Conner Weigman. So the offense had been designed for Weigman. And you can tell that (offensive coordinator Collin) Klein sort of has a certain set of plays that (redshirt sophomore quarterback) Marcel (Reed) is really comfortable with. And I think it's very evident when Klein is calling these plays that he has a sort of menu for Marcel to pick from and check into when there are certain fronts being shown. And that has definitely allowed Marcel to take a huge step up, especially as a passer.”
Can you put in parentheses who Marcel is, he has not been mentioned before this-SM
“There's even times where I feel like he's not running and he should be scrambling, but he is staying in the pocket to look for a pass to make. So that has been the biggest thing for him. It's just there was a big stigma around him that he wasn't a good passer and that he was only a good runner. And this season, I think he's completely flipped that script. And he has proven that he is really capable of powering an offense. Two of our wide receivers, (junior) KC Concepcion and (sophomore) Mario Craver, I believe both are top 10 in the SEC in receiving yards. So not only is Marcel able to have an efficient offense, but he's also able to empower other players to put up really good stats.”
Who are some other players that you think could play an impact in Saturday’s game?
“Ashton Bethel-Romans, a redshirt freshman (wide receiver) who has caught on in the past couple of weeks. He had a huge game against Arkansas. And then (sophomore) Terry Bussey is a former five-star athlete at wide receiver. If he can get the ball in his hands, he's really good at making guys miss and getting in the open field.”
“And then our tight ends, we rotate tight ends a lot. You'll see them constantly running on and off the field. And they all sort of have their own unique games. (Redshirt senior) Amari Niblack is the Texas transfer. He's the most athletic out of all of them. And then (redshirt junior) Theo Melin Öhrström … He's a really raw athlete who runs a lot of checks, checkdowns and dump routes. And then (graduate) Nate Boerkircher is the most balanced out of all the tight ends. I would say he has the most pro potential out of all of them. He's the strongest blocker in the group, and he also has extremely reliable hands. He's the one who caught the touchdown against Notre Dame to win the game. But besides that, he also has just demonstrated he has the ability to make catches in traffic and take contact and come down with the ball. So, those are the other big names.”
What does Texas A&M have to do to win this game?
“Coach Elko talked about it in his media availability yesterday. He still views (redshirt sophomore quarterback) LaNorris Sellers as the same guy who went out there and torched A&M both on the ground and through the air last season. And I think containing him, I know it sounds silly, but if we can contain the quarterback, we can win the game. But stopping him from getting into almost game-breaking form. He can get into when it comes to scrambling and forcing the defense to then put a spy and take away from coverage, containing him early is going to be crucial.”
“And then also, obviously, even coach Elko mentioned (junior) Nyck Harbor is like a freak athlete, a wide receiver. And that hasn't always translated to a lot of big stats on the field, but it's like that kind of an athlete is always a threat to break out. You can't just say, 'Oh, well, he doesn't have the stats. We don't have to respect him.' You still have to give him the same amount of respect if he had those stats because he's such an incredible athlete on the field.”
Is there anything else you’d like to note about the game?
“So the biggest weakness with A&M’s run defense that coach Elko always mentions is run fits coming from linebackers. And I think a lot of that has been adjusted in the second half of these games. A&M has been a second half team for the most part this season. They've been really good in first halves for some games, but they've proven their ability to adapt, which I think is a thing that a lot of other previous A&M’s coaching staffs hadn't had. So I think even if South Carolina does get off to a hot start in this one, and A&M goes behind, at any point, I think this coaching staff and this team at A&M this season has proven that they have the ability to change and do what it takes to win big games.”
“It sounds cheesy to use that word, but it's like they've done it time and time again to where it's like, 'Okay, this is going to be an offensive shootout. We know we're going to come out on top.' Or it's, 'This is going to be a tight one like against Auburn. We're going to squeeze out the victory here.' And so that's been the big thing. And again, it's the first game at home in Kyle Field in five weeks for A&M. So I'm sure the players and the fans are both going to be really excited to be back in Kyle. So that'll be another factor, of course, because the 12th man is always leaving their impact on the game. So, that's the biggest thing I see for that.”
What’s your score prediction for the game?
“I'm going to do A&M 42 … I'll do South Carolina 20.”