Category: South Carolina Gamecocks

‘South Carolina doesn’t help us get ready for Auburn,’ per Aggies football coach Mike Elko

“Showing them South Carolina doesn’t help us get ready for Auburn much, but this is a really talented rushing group,” Mike Elko said Monday.

The last time that the Texas A&M football team suited up in SEC competition, the Aggies suffered their first conference loss of the year, but that didn’t phase head coach Mike Elko.

Texas A&M was upset 44-20 at South Carolina on Nov. 2. Following their second bye and a 38-3 non-conference victory versus New Mexico State on Saturday night at Kyle Field, the No. 14 Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) travel for the final time this campaign to face Auburn.

“Showing them South Carolina doesn’t help us get ready for Auburn much, but this is a really talented rushing group,” Elko said Monday. “How we control the line of scrimmage, set edges and keep the ball contained in the box is going to be really, really important for us and our success.”

Texas A&M plays the Tigers (4-6, 1-5) in its penultimate regular season contest at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko runs ‘a real program,’ he’s ‘not a politician’

“This is a real program. It is not fake,” Elko proclaimed. “It is not a politician running this program, talking fast and BS-ing everybody.”

Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko did not hold back in his postgame press conference Saturday night following a 38-23 victory versus No. 8 LSU.

“I think it’s the way that we talk to the young people. The things that we talk about, the messaging, how we bring really good people into the building. We talk about doing things together, we talk about culture. Everyone talks about it but then we go out and live it every day,” Elko proclaimed. “I think we back up our actions, we’re very honest, very open and this is a real program.

“It’s not fake. It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BS-ing everybody. This is a real program! For all the recruits out there, this is a real place. If you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be.”

After beating another top 10 conference rival, the No. 14 Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) will elevate in all the polls before playing at struggling South Carolina (4-3, 2-3) next weekend at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

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Texas A&M football team to travel the third furthest among SEC programs

During Mike Elko’s first year as the football head coach, Texas A&M will have to travel the third furthest among the 16 programs in the SEC.

During Mike Elko‘s first season as the football head coach in College Station, Texas A&M will have to travel the third furthest among the 16 programs in the Southeastern Conference.

According to bookies.com, the Aggies will rack up over 5796 miles this year traveling to only four road games. The only SEC squads that have to go further is LSU and Mizzou. The respective Tigers from Louisiana and Missouri each travel long distances for non-conference contests. Therefore, Texas A&M is traveling the furthest for its SEC games.

Texas A&M‘s longest route is 1847 miles to Columbia, South Carolina for a matchup versus the Gamecocks. The Aggies’ closest away contest is still pretty far, 967 miles away in Starkville against Mississippi State. Per BetMGM, Texas A&M has the eighth best odds to win the conference at +2000.

When it comes to the Aggies’ SEC opponents this year, they rank in the following order regarding miles traveled: LSU (1st), Mizzou (2nd), Texas (4th), Mississippi State (5th), South Carolina (8th), Florida (12th), Arkansas (13th) and Auburn (16th).

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UPDATE: Due to weather the Texas A&M softball quarterfinals game has been moved

Rainy weather has forced the final two quarterfinal games of 2024 SEC Softball tournament to be postponed a day

Texas A&M (39-12, 15-9 SEC) will have to wait one more day before they can take the diamond in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 SEC softball tournament. Rain has interrupted the flow of the tournament and the Aggie’s Thursday game against South Carolina will not take place on Friday.

The Aggies earned a first-round bye after earning the No.3 Seed and found out their opponent after South Carolina beat Mississippi State to advance to the next round. With the delay, the teams will now face off on Friday, May 10, 35 minutes after game one is complete. You can check out the full schedule update below.

Texas A&M needs this win to regain some confidence and momentum after being swept to close the season. I have no doubt Coach Trisha Ford will have them ready to battle.

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South Carolina star guard Meechie Johnson to reportedly enter transfer portal

The star South Carolina guard will enter the transfer portal after two seasons.

According to multiple reports, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson is set to reportedly enter the transfer portal after two seasons with the Gamecocks.

Johnson, who transferred to South Carolina prior to the 2022-23 season, was a key factor in the Gamecocks bounce back 2023-24 campaign as he led the team in scoring at 14.1 PPG. Starting all 33 games for a South Carolina team that made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016-17, Johnson also averaged 4.1 RPG and 2.9 APG to earn Second Team All-SEC honors, as well as shot 39.9% from the field, 32.1% from three, and 78.8% from the free throw line.

Prior to South Carolina, Johnson appeared in 43 games at Ohio State across his first two collegiate seasons, five of which he started. Averaging 13 MPG, Johnson averaged a combined 3.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG.

Likely to be a sought-after name nationally, Johnson now becomes likely the biggest name from across the SEC to have entered the transfer portal so far this offseason, as well as among the top names in the entire country. Could any more big names potentially follow?

Texas A&M softball wins third straight SEC series beating No. 25 Auburn in the first two games

The Aggies are off to their best start since the 2018 season in SEC play

Texas A&M (27-4, 7-1 SEC) defeated No. 25 Auburn (15-8, 2-6 SEC) in the first two games of the series, outscoring the Tigers 8-3.

Head coach Trisha Ford has the Aggies off to the best start in the SEC since the 2018 season. On top of starting 7-1 in league play, all three teams they beat are ranked in the Top 25: No. 22 South Carolina, No. 21 Mississippi State, and No. 25 Auburn.

This squad is also getting the job done differently, with 1-9 of the line all being dangerous from the plate. The Aggies have a great mix of power and speed that allows them to have different offensive strategies that were missing last year.

The defense has also been playing extremely well, with just a few errors on the season, which has been the main reason their four losses have been one-point games. There has yet to be a game this season where a team has blown the Aggies out of the water. They are quick in the infield, and the outfield has shown several times that they all have the capability to throw out runners at home.

Day one:

Texas A&M vs Auburn / Win / 5-1

  • Total offense:  5 hits, 5 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (14-3): 7.0 innings, 4 Ks, 116 pitches.

Day two:

Texas A&M vs Auburn / Win / 3-2

  • Total offense:  3 hits, 5 runs
  • Pitching: Shaylee Ackerman W (6-1): 7.0 innings, 2 Ks, 96 pitches.

Texas A&M will wrap up the series at Davis Diamond on Sunday, March 24, at 1 p.m. CT.

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South Carolina reportedly hires FBS head coach as offensive assistant

South Carolina hires the Georgia State head coach, who had been in charge of the Panthers since 2017, as an offensive assistant.

According to multiple reports, Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott is expected to be hired as the new tight ends coach at South Carolina.

Elliott has been the head coach of the Panthers program since 2017 and has amassed a combined 41-44 overall record during that span. Across those seven seasons, Elliott led Georgia State to five bowl games, with his best year having been an 8-5 campaign in 2021, as well as their record in bowl games being 4-1.

Elliott now returns to South Carolina where he spent from 2010-16 in a variety of different assistant coaching roles, as well as having served as the interim head coach back in 2015, leading the Gamecocks to a 1-5 record.

South Carolina is coming off a 2023 season in which they finished at 5-7 overall as well as 3-5 in SEC play.

The Gamecocks tight end room will feature the likes of Joshua Simon, Connor Cox, Maurice Brown II, Lukas Vozeh, Nick Elksnis, Reid Mikeska, Brady Hunt, and Will Helmadollar.

South Carolina, Lamont Paris get statement win at Tennessee

South Carolina picked up a statement win Tuesday night.

Throughout the entirety of the 2023-24 season up to this point, only one team has defeated the Tennessee Volunteers inside Thompson-Boling Arena, and if you watched the SEC basketball action from Tuesday night, then you already know that the team is the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Yes, head coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks picked up a statement win Tuesday night in Knoxville, defeating Tennessee by a final score of 63-59.

A win that extended South Carolina’s current winning streak to four straight, the Gamecocks would lead for a majority of the second half, and while only shooting 33.9% from the field, as well as 34.5% from three, were able to hold on late due to some big makes down the stretch.

Of those baskets, arguably none was bigger than a made three-pointer from Ta’Lon Cooper with 0:41 remaining to extend the lead from three to six. The Gamecocks also helped secure the victory with some big makes at the free throw line inside a minute remaining, with Myles Stute going a perfect four-for-four at the line down the stretch.

The aforementioned Cooper would lead South Carolina with 18 points on the night, while B.J. Mack and Stute were also in double-figures.

For the Volunteers, star Dalton Knecht would have yet another phenomenal offensive showing by adding 31 points, but South Carolina would keep the remainder of the Tennessee lineup limited on the scoreboard as the star trio of Zeigler, Vescovi, and James had only a combined 14 points.

Now sitting at 18-3 overall, as well as second in the SEC at 6-2 in conference play, this, combined with the Kentucky win last week, is a victory that will do nothing but boost South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament resume down the road.

Simply a statement victory on all fronts, can the Gamecocks keep their winning ways going Saturday at Georgia?

‘they’re good every year you just got to expect the best out of them’ Coulibaly & Ware answer questions in preview of the South Carolina game

Here’s what Texas A&M Aggies Aicha Coulibaly and Lauren Ware had to say during the South Carolina matchup preview.

Texas A&M (14-3, 2-2) returns home to face the No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks (16-0, 4-0) on Sunday afternoon.

After a bye week, A&M will welcome the No. 1 team in the nation to Reed Arena for their fifth SEC game of the season. The Aggies have played solid defense all season long and will need to find a way to slow down the South Carolina Gamecocks, who boast the number-one offense in the land.

“I’d say rebounding is definitely the biggest thing for us and then obviously defense is something that we’ve been um pretty get out throughout the year but I think this is going to be an important one for us to be solid defensively” – Ware

“I feel like in this game it’s going to be a possessional game we got to take care of the ball as well and you know just staying in the game with them we know how big they are” – Coulibaly

Below, you can watch the full presser Q&A with Aicha Coulibaly and Lauren Ware.

 

Texas A&M will return to Reed Arena on January 21 at 4:00 pm CT to host the No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks.

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‘ We’ve got to force them into tough shots they can’t get anything easy’ Coach Joni Taylor answers questions in preview of the South Carolina game

Here’s what Texas A&M Head Coach Joni Taylor had to say during the South Carolina matchup preview.

Texas A&M (14-3, 2-2) returns home to face the No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks (16-0, 4-0) on Sunday afternoon.

This will undoubtedly be the toughest game of the season for the Aggies, with Dawn Staley bringing a South Carolina team that’s been out to prove a point after not making it to the NCAA Championship game last season. Head Coach Joni Taylor knows she must slow down and limit the mistakes against the No. 1 Gamecocks if they want a chance at a victory.

“…we’ve got to force them into a half-court game as much as possible. They are excellent in transition, and we’ve got to
limit those opportunities number one by getting back and getting a defense set and also by not turning the ball over or having turnovers that lead to live ball easy transition points.”

Below, you can watch the full presser Q&A with Coach Joni Taylor.

Texas A&M will return to Reed Arena on January 21 at 4:00 pm CT to host the No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.