Tag: South Carolina Gamecocks Football

‘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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3 College Football games to watch in Week 12

Week 12 of the 2024 college football season features some impactful matchups.

The Oklahoma Sooners have arrived at the second of their two bye weeks this season. After a 4-1 beginning to the year, OU has slid to 1-4 in the past five weeks, with the only win coming over FCS Maine.

That means that the Sooners are just 5-5 overall and just 1-5 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play in 2024. They haven’t won a conference game since September.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team is licking their wounds after their latest defeat, and they’ll be back on the field on Nov. 23, when they host Alabama. The Crimson Tide essentially will be coming off of a bye week as well. They will face FCS Mercer on Saturday. OU vs. Alabama will be on ABC at 6:30 p.m. central time.

Even with Oklahoma off, the college football world doesn’t stop spinning in Week 12. If you’re like me, you’ll still be tuned in on Saturday, watching some of the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.

Here are the three biggest games of Week 12 to watch while the Sooners are off.

Tennessee at Georgia

It’s easily the biggest game on the docket, as the Volunteers and Bulldogs both need a win in Athens. The Vols have just one loss (against Arkansas), but they haven’t always been their normal high-flying selves this year. Tennessee boasts a fantastic defense, and they hope to have quarterback Nico Iamaleava healthy in Sanford Stadium.

The Dawgs lost to Ole Miss last week, placing their College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy. Georgia needs their offense to get back on track between the hedges, and they certainly don’t make it a habit to lose back-to-back games under Kirby Smart. In a loaded Southeastern Conference, this game could go a long way towards deciding who makes it to Atlanta for the conference title game.

Tennessee at Georgia will kick off on ABC at 6:30 p.m. central time.

Missouri at South Carolina

Two teams that have already beaten the Sooners this season will face off to find out who lives in the better Columbia. This one will take place in the Palmetto State, where South Carolina upset Texas A&M a couple of weeks ago. Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are among the hottest teams in college football, and they aren’t that far away from being 8-1 this year.

Missouri hits the road after defeating Oklahoma, and the Tigers think they still have CFP chances. If they want to get back in the mix at the top of the SEC, they’ll have to go into Williams-Brice Stadium and take down South Carolina in a tough place to play.

Missouri at South Carolina will kick off on SEC Network at 3:15 central time.

Tulane at Navy

It’s not the most impressive matchup on paper, but these two American Athletic Conference foes should play a competitive game in Annapolis, Maryland. The winner has an easier path to their conference title game.

Tulane is undefeated in AAC play, and their only losses have come against Kansas State and Oklahoma. The Green Wave also feature offensive coordinator Joe Craddock, who has been linked to OU’s OC vacancy. His young quarterback Darian Mensah has been impressive in the offensive scheme, taking the reins as a redshirt freshman.

Navy has lost a couple of times since their blistering undefeated start, but the Midshipmen are looking to get back into the race in the AAC. With their annual bout with Army still on the schedule, they don’t want to get too many games back of their arch-rival when mid-December rolls around. The American champion could have a shot at a playoff spot if Boise State stumbles in the Mountain West.

Tulane at Navy will kick off on ESPN2 at 11:00 a.m. central time.

Texas A&M vs. South Carolina Game Time, Channel have been revealed

Find out what station & time to watch Texas A&M take on South Carolina in Williams-Brice Stadium

No. 10 Texas A&M (7-1, 6-0 SEC) will face another tough test when they play South Carolina (4-3, 2-3 SEC) on Saturday to take on the Gamecocks. A&M is putting the inspiring comeback victory over LSU in the rearview mirror and looking to move to 6-0 in the SEC.

The Aggies are the talk of the town right now and have worked themselves into the top ten of the AP Top 25 Poll. If you look at the records and all of the recognition A&M receives, this game has all the hallmarks of a potential trap game.

That’s what I would say if South Carolina did not have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC and they can keep up with Conner Weigman or Marcel Reed.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Aggies and Gamecocks will face off in a conference battle at Williams-Brice Stadium at 6:30 pm CST on ABC.

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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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Greg McElroy thinks a loss this week would doom Oklahoma 2024 season

Greg McElroy believes the Sooners have to win on Saturday to have a good shot at bowl eligibility.

The Oklahoma Sooners take the field once again this week, as they’re back at home against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday. OU is 4-2 overall this season, but just 1-2 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play.

After a 3-0 start with wins over Temple, Houston, and Tulane, Oklahoma lost to Tennessee, defeated Auburn, and got beat by Texas.

With a brutal schedule in the SEC still awaiting them, the Sooners have very little margin for error, a fact compounded by a lackluster offense that OU has trotted out for much of 2024.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team has already had one of their two bye weeks for the regular season, so there won’t be much extra time to fix things from week to week.

The Gamecocks are fully capable of coming into Norman and defeating the Sooners on Saturday, especially with as bad as the offense has been for Oklahoma. Shane Beamer’s team nearly defeated LSU earlier this season and almost beat Alabama last week. One ESPN college football analyst thinks that a loss against South Carolina would be dangerous for OU.

Greg McElroy, the host of “Always College Football” for ESPN, and one of the network’s top college football color commentators, thinks the Sooners would be trending to miss bowl season with a loss this week at home.

“Had I told you that when this game was approaching in the middle of October this game would determine bowl eligibility, potentially, would you have believed me,” McElroy said. “Just being honest. You look at Oklahoma: ten wins a year ago, a ready-made defense, a potential star at quarterback, all this hype coming into the season, and now they lose this one? Let’s be real, I mean Oklahoma with what they have remaining, it’s not looking likely that they’re going to be playing in the postseason if they lose this one at home.”
After South Carolina, the Sooners still have games on the road against Ole Miss, on the road against Missouri, at home against Alabama, and on the road against LSU. The only saving grace left on the schedule is a home game against Maine, who is an FCS team. With just four wins and four remarkably tough contests coming up after this week, McElroy might be right about this being a must-win game for OU.
The former national championship-winning quarterback at Alabama went on to praise what South Carolina has already done this season, and believes the Gamecocks will get the road victory.
“South Carolina’s like kind of a pretty dangerous football team with what they have on the edges,” McElroy said. “I like the Gamecocks in this game to go up there and a take care of business against an offensive line that is shaky at best and a quarterback that likes to escape horizontally.”

Before the season began, this game was one that Sooner Nation expected to win fairly easily, one of few inferior talent opponents on this inaugural SEC schedule. With the way South Carolina has looked this year, combined with the way Oklahoma has played, especially offensively, it now looks like the Sooners have to play some of their best football in order to get win No. 5 and head into the back half of the season with any kind of chance to make some noise.

Oklahoma Sooners offense faces another stiff test vs. South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks defense provides another difficult test for the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

Every game is a must-win game during a college football season. Even with the expanded playoff, there still isn’t much margin for error for teams that have aspirations of playing for a national championship.

Though the expectations for 2024 may have changed, given the product on the field in the first six games, the expectations for Oklahoma Football never change. This is a program that expects to compete for conference and national titles.

And perhaps that’s unrealistic, but it’s the reality. And that’s why this game against South Carolina is important.

Oklahoma’s two losses in 2024 are to a pair of teams ranked inside the top 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll; No. 1 Texas and No. 10 Tennessee. They also boast two of the top five scoring defenses in the nation with the Longhorns at No. 1 and the Volunteers at No. 4. They’re allowing 6.3 and 10.6 points per game this season.

South Carolina is allowing 20.3 points per game and ranks 37th in the nation in scoring defense. But they’ve played some of the better offenses in the conference in LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss, a trio of schools that Oklahoma will play later in the year.

Though statistically, the Gamecocks rank lower than the teams the Sooners have struggled with, they boast a talented group of defenders throughout the defense. A lot of the focus will be on their defensive line, and for good reason: the Gamecocks have legit NFL talent in the back seven as well.

The defense is allowing just 299 yards per game, 107 rushing yards per game, and 189.5 passing yards per game. They allow opposing quarterbacks to complete just 56% of its passes and rushing attacks to gain just 3.1 yards per carry.

Not exactly the best week to expect an offensive explosion. But the Sooners have to find some answers.

If there was ever a game where the Sooners needed to pull it all together, it’s this game. Starting with South Carolina, the Sooners have a tough road over their final six games.

While the Oklahoma Sooners have a really good defense, they can’t do it all. Perhaps they can come up with a defensive score, but you can’t expect that week to week.

[autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and Joe Jon Finley need to find some answers to the Sooners offensive struggles. Saturday against South Carolina provides a tough test. But if OU can generate a few touchdown drives, it might be the springboard they need to finish 2024 season on a high note.

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Can Oklahoma Sooners win ‘Beamer Ball’ battle vs. South Carolina?

The Sooners can’t afford to let “Beamer Ball” be their undoing this week.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 4-2 entering week eight of the 2024 college football season, and they’re 1-2 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. They’ll look to bounce back from last week’s tough loss against Texas at home against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.

To say OU has struggled mightily on offense this season would be an understatement. While the defense has held up their end of the bargain, the Sooners haven’t been able to put points on the board.

The Gamecocks have had similar problems this year, although not as drastic. They boast an excellent defense, but an offense that has struggled at times to move the ball.

However, the third phase of the game of football will be very important this week, as special teams may come to Oklahoma’s aid in this contest, or be their demise.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer knows more about special teams than just about any other coach in the country. His father, Frank Beamer, famously coached Virginia Tech to plenty of success with “Beamer Ball” and his son has followed in his footsteps. The Beamers are excellent on special teams, often earning their teams an edge in that department.

Shane Beamer actually coached at Oklahoma from 2018 to 2020 in a variety of roles (including special teams), before he got his current gig in Columbia. The Gamecocks nearly upset LSU early this season, and used a remarkable onside kick to come within a drive of defeating Alabama last week. South Carolina is a worthy opponent for the Sooners, especially on special teams, with the Oklahoma offense stuck in neutral (or park, or reverse).

Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] made special teams a point of emphasis this offseason, after the Sooners had far too many mistakes in that department in his first two years at the helm. Special teams analyst [autotag]Doug Deakin[/autotag] was hired away from San Diego State to replace Jay Nunez, who took a job at Alabama.

Through six games, OU hasn’t been remarkable on special teams, but the big mistakes that bit them last year haven’t shown up as much. But it’ll take everybody to win that battle against Beamer and the Gamecocks.

Punter [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] leads the way for this unit, as he’s had an excellent season. Time and time again, Elzinga has been counted upon to win the field position battle, and time and time again, he’s delivered. He hasn’t had a punt blocked, and he’s honestly one of Oklahoma’s best players, regardless of position. As OU continues to struggle on offense, but play well defensively, field position will be crucial.

The trio of kicker [autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag], holder [autotag]Josh Plaster[/autotag] and long snapper [autotag]Ben Anderson[/autotag] will have to be solid on field goals and extra points this week, as South Carolina will capitalize on any mistakes. Keltner has missed a couple of kicks this season, including one against Texas, but is still an improvement over what the position has seen the last couple of years. The Sooners also have not had a kick blocked.

OU’s kickoff specialist, [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] (who stepped in nicely as the starter at kicker for Keltner against Auburn), can’t give the Gamecocks any un-earned opportunities either, as the Sooners defense needs all the help they can get.

If the Sooners could block a punt or a kick, that would be fantastic, but South Carolina doesn’t make many special teams errors. Oklahoma also will have to be careful they don’t give up a big return.

In the return game, Oklahoma hasn’t gotten anything substantial, though they are dealing with some injuries to their kickoff returners. Without Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks in the lineup, that duty has fallen to players like Billy Bowman, [autotag]Sam Franklin[/autotag], Gavin Sawchuk and Devon Jordan. Franklin seems to be the preferred option, but he is currently questionable for this game, as is Burks.

[autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] is the primary punt returner, with Bowman as a backup option. Bowen was excellent returning punts in high school, and has shown potential, but hasn’t gotten loose for a big play yet at the college level.

Lastly, OU will have to avoid special teams penalties, which has not exactly been a strength through six games.

That means being disciplined and paying attention to the little details in order to keep from making those errors. Whether it’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalties or procedure penalties, they simply can’t happen on special teams in any game, this one included. They’ll also need to keep the antenna up for momentum-shifting plays like onside kicks or fakes that can swing things in favor of South Carolina.

With his offense trying to find solutions at this point in the season, Venables will be looking for his special teams to out-duel “Beamer Ball” and help his defense come away with the win.

Predictions for Oklahoma Sooners vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

The Oklahoma Sooners take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday and here are Sooners Wire Staff’s predictions.

To say a game in week eight is a must-win feels weird, but at the midway point of the season, sitting at 4-2 and with their remaining schedule, the Oklahoma Sooners have a tough road ahead.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are a tough matchup for anyone. Just ask LSU and Alabama. Shane Beamer’s squad lost two really close games to the SEC titans by a combined five points. Sure, this year’s Bama team isn’t the same as the Nick Saban squads from year’s past, but they’re still a talented team.

The Gamecocks boast one of the more impressive defensive end duos in college football with Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart. They’re long, athletic, and disruptive. Along with an athletic and aggressive secondary, the Gamecocks will pose a difficult challenge for the Sooners offense and true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag].

Offensively, the Gamecocks are a bit of a roller coaster, riding the arm and legs of first-year starter LaNorris Sellers. Though only a three-star prospect coming out of high school, Sellers sat for a year behind Spencer Rattler and has a high ceiling because of a strong arm and great athleticism.

This has a chance to be another thriller in SEC play and there’s no telling how the game could go. But our staff here at Sooners Wire shared their thoughts on how Oklahoma’s first matchup ever with the Gamecocks will go.

Up Next: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

3 freshmen to watch for Oklahoma Sooners against South Carolina Gamecocks

Three Oklahoma Sooners Freshmen that will be key against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Oklahoma Sooners return home this week, looking to bounce back after a humbling loss against Texas. OU will host the South Carolina Gamecocks in a game that is suddenly much bigger than previously anticipated.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff will once again be relying on plenty of members of the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] to play big roles in this game. These true freshmen may not be ready yet, but they’re being asked to step up and help the team get victories in the mighty [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Here are three freshmen to keep your eye on as the Sooners try to take down the Gamecocks.

1. Eli Bowen, DB

One of the few bright spots in the loss against the Longhorns last week was the play of [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag]. The undersized cornerback showed plenty of heart and technique on the outside. If it weren’t for him, Texas may have scored even more points than they did.

Bowen will be asked to play extremely well once again, as there’s essentially no margin for error for this OU defense right now. One busted coverage or lost jump ball could spell doom for Oklahoma with the way the offense looks right now.

2. Michael Boganowski, DB

Another young member of OU’s secondary, [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag] gets the nod here because of the physicality he brings to the table. No, he won’t start in this game behind the excellent trio of safeties the Sooners have, but if Venables wants his team to be more physical, few on this team lay the hammer like Boganowski.

As Oklahoma tries to win games without the aid of their offense, there’s no substitute for stopping the run and being physical. That’ll be paramount against a Gamecock offense that is also struggling, and depth will certainly play a role, as the Sooners will have to play plenty of snaps on defense.

3. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB

The last spot could go to defensive tackle Jayden Jackson or running back Taylor Tatum, but we’ll include quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] here.

Hawkins will make his third career start in this game, Venables confirmed on Monday night. He did enough to get the win over Auburn before the bye week, but struggled against Texas last week. He certainly isn’t getting any help from anyone calling the offense or the injury situation at wide receiver, but there is definitely room to improve.

The true freshman needs to take care of the ball yes, but he should also be encouraged to sling it and trust what he sees. He’s likely still in the game because of his poise and athletic ability, and because Venables believes he’s the best man for the job. He needs to prove his head coach right by taking a step forward on Saturday against the Gamecocks and by taking a firm hold of the starting gig under center.

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Michael Hawkins Jr. to start at quarterback vs. South Carolina

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables shared Monday night that the Sooners will start Michael Hawkins Jr. vs. South Carolina.

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t planning to make a change at quarterback ahead of their matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. On the Rudy’s Barbecue Coach’s Show, Venables reiterated trust in quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

Oklahoma was held to three points in the loss to Texas but Venables believes it’s important to give Hawkins more time to show what he can do.

“Mike has shown a lot of really good stuff,” Venables said, “both in his limited time against Tennessee and he had some really good moments where he did some good stuff against Auburn. And even (against Texas), he did some good things and some things where now we see if we can learn from it.”

https://twitter.com/ParkerThune/status/1845984513781907645

Hawkins has had some good moments for the Sooners through two and a half games as the starting quarterback. Oklahoma put a lot on Hawkins’ shoulders on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl, making him responsible on 55 of 72 offensive plays. Hawkins was asked to drop back and throw the ball 40 times and Seth Littrell called 15 designed quarterback runs, according to Pro Football Focus.

Hawkins has a lot of talent, but that’s a lot to ask a true freshman quarterback making just his second collegiate start.

The Sooners have to get more out of the running game and find a way to scheme receivers open in the passing game. Oklahoma’s offense is one of the worst in college football six games into the season. Sure, they’ve played some good defenses in Tennessee, Auburn, and Texas, but it’s not like there will be an easy defense on the schedule in the SEC.

Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley have to find a way to make things easier for their quarterback in the passing game and not put so much on him in the running game either.

Hawkins has the talent to be effective for the Sooners, but he can’t do it all by himself. Few quarterbacks could in the circumstances Oklahoma’s offense is dealing with. So the Sooners coaching staff has to find a way to create more efficiency in the offense.

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