Tag: South Carolina Gamecocks Football

Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper received one off the highest PFF grades after the Aggies’ 30-17 win over South Carolina

After the Aggies’ 30-17 win over South Carolina, standout linebacker Edgerrin Cooper recorded a prolific PFF grade.

Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) matched their 2022 win record after defeating South Carolina (2-6, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, led by another incredible defensive performance, junior standout linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who, yes, we talk about a lot in Aggie media due to his outstanding play this season, set another personal record.

While the Aggies’ defense limited the Gamecocks to 209 total yards, including 33 yards rushing, quarterback Spencer Rattler was harassed all day, sacking the senior signal caller four times while notching ten tackles for loss.

Leading the country in sacks (33) tackles for loss (75), and 13th in run defense, Cooper, who personally leads all active players with 15.5 tackles for loss, and the Aggies with 52 tackles and seven sacks, once again finished the game at the top of the stat sheet with seven tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Cooper recorded a nearly perfect 93.6 defensive grade and a 93.3 coverage grade, rounding out his 91.7 overall grade, the best among linebackers, and ranked third in the FBS.

Cooper’s incredible jump this season is based on hard work and dedicated coaching, as second-year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s new role as the team’s linebacker coach has elevated not only Cooper but freshman LB Taurean York, who is second on the team with 47 tackles.

Traveling to face the 11th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday morning, Texas A&M’s surging D has yet to face a Top 10 offense, as the Rebels present a challenge through the air and on the ground, making Edgerrin Cooper’s consistent impact that much more critical as it tougher down the stretch.

Texas A&M will now travel to Oxford (MS) to face the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 5, where the game will again air on ESPN at 11:00 a.m. CT.

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Best Photos: Texas A&M 30-17 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks

The Aggies bounce back at Kyle Field, beating South Carolina 30-17 on Saturday afternoon

With a much-needed win to avoid a three-game losing streak, the Aggies got the job done against a struggling South Carolina team. Texas A&M hit the 30-point threshold for the first time in a month, giving the offense a little bit of juice to close out the season.

DJ Durkin has continued to call solid defensive game plans since the Miami loss and found a few ways to help his lackluster secondary play. That improvement also saw Edgerrin Cooper make a huge jump to the next level as the season progressed, seeing him play at an All-American level.

With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Aggies need to win out for this to be considered a successful season. Another 8-4 season will result in more calls for changes at the head coach position. Even with the team’s issues this year, they are still confident they can end the season on a high note.

Below, you can check out the best photos from the game on Saturday.

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Texas A&M’s second half scoring woes are an issue that must be solved in the final four games

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s lack of second-half adjustments must change with two key SEC road trips remaining this season.

Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) finally entered the win column after defeating South Carolina (2-6, 1-5 SEC) 30-17 on Saturday afternoon, ending their two-game SEC skid, while matching last season’s win total.

Yes, the Aggies offense scored 30 points for the first time since netting 34 in the win vs. Arkansas, but 21 of said points came in the second quarter, including a late 42-yard touchdown strike to WR Ainias Smith with just seconds remaining in the half. Oh, and Max Wright’s incredible end zone grab that was called incomplete? That was a touchdown, folks.

However, just like we’ve seen throughout SEC play, Texas A&M’s offense scored nine points by way of three Randy Bond Field goals and have yet to score a touchdown in the second half of their past four games (Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina) including 18 total points scored with a 2-2 record, as most of the blame falls on head coach Jimbo Fisher’s last of half time adjustments.

I agree that simply stating a lack of “adjustments” is vague. However, this unwelcome trend was blatantly evident in the loss to Alabama after the Aggies held a respectable but susceptible 17-7 halftime lead. At the same time, Fisher, in his usual conservative nature, opted to allow the clock to run down instead of calling a timeout after sacking Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe to drive down the field for another potential scoring opportunity.

Fast forward to the second half, as Alabama head coach Nick Saban, dealing with a ten-point deficit in front of a packed Kyle Field, took advantage of the weak spots in A&M’s secondary while imposing their will against the Aggies’ porous offensive line with more blitz through the A and B gaps. Scoring just three points due to the uptick in pocket pressure, Aggies quarterback Max Johnson was officially rattled, and the Crimson Tide had won the battle by an underwhelming score of 26-20.

On Saturday, if it wasn’t for the Aggies’ suffocating pass rush and solid play in the secondary, we could have been discussing a complete offensive turnaround from the Gamecocks, who brought the score within seven after a quick 6-play scoring drive with just over two minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

I’m not a coach, and I don’t play one on TV, but next weekend’s early kickoff on the road vs. Ole Miss, one of the top remaining contenders in the SEC West, is the perfect matchup to finally implement several second-half adjustments, such as relying on 12 personnel looks in pass protection, implementing a quick passing game to get Johnson in rhythm, and making wide receivers Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart the offensive focal points is a good start.

Texas A&M will now travel to Oxford (MS) to face the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 5, where the game will again air on ESPN at 11:00 a.m. CT.

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Five takeaways from Texas A&M’s 30-17 bounce back win over South Carolina

The Aggies’ sluggish second half traits continue, while Cooper and Ainias shined. Here are the takeaways from Texas A&M’s Week 9 win.

For at least one more week, all is well in Aggieland after Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) picked up a much-needed win against South Carolina (2-6, 1-5 SEC) in Week 9.

The Aggies trounced the Gamecocks to the tune of 30-17, with much of their victory coming off the heels of a 21-0 second-quarter offensive surge. While there remain clear areas of improvement, namely on offense, A&M improved just enough to put them in a comfortable position to win on Saturday.

Of course, their goal was much much easier thanks to another elite performance from the Aggies’ defense, which forced three intentional groundings on Spencer Rattler while allowing just two offensive scoring drives from South Carolina all afternoon.

There’s little time to relish in the victory, however, as A&M prepares to go back on the road for a significant matchup against Ole Miss. Of course, it’s always worth looking back at the takeaways in order to build off of what worked, and to address what needs fixing.

Here are five takeaways from Texas A&M’s much-needed bounce-back win against South Carolina.

Social Media Reacts to Texas A&M’s 30-17 win over South Carolina

Here are the best social media reactions to Texas A&M’s potentially season-saving 30-17 win over South Carolina.

Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) was in dire need of a victory after the bye week, previously dropping their last two SEC matchups in close losses to Alabama and Tennessee. Facing a beatable South Carolina team who were also coming off of consecutive losses, head coach Jimbo Fisher’s shaky future needed a jolt of energy, coming in the form of a blowout home victory.

Behind yet another impressive defensive effort led by star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (7 tackles, one sack, one TFL) and safety Bryce Anderson (7 tackles, two sacks, 2.5 TFLS), the Aggies offense, still a painfully slow work in progress, did find the end zone three times in the first half, including an impressive second quarter explosion capped by by quarterback Max Johnson’s 45-yard strike to do-it-all wide receiver Ainias with to take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

After the game, every Aggie fan, media member, and general Texas A&M hater made their way to social media to either congratulate or continue to mock the Maroon & White in an always entertaining fashion.

Here are the best social media reactions from Texas A&M’s 30-17 win over South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and the relentless Aggie defense stuffed the stat sheet in Texas A&M’s 30-17 win over South Carolina

Within Texas A&M’s 30-17 win over South Carolina, several Aggie defenders, including LB Edgerrin Cooper, completely dominated the stat sheet.

If you’ve been paying attention, Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) is just inches (yeah, I said it) away from reaching 7-1 on the year, which includes an undefeated record in the SEC if the Aggies offense had been up to snuff in the second half in consecutive losses to Alabama and Tennessee.

On the other hand, Texas A&M’s 9th-ranked defense has been one of the most significant bright spots in college football since falling to Miami in Week 2, consistently tying or leading the country in sacks after every week. At the same time, junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has solidified himself as the best linebacker in the country by a fair margin.

“I got comfortable with the strategy of our game and playbook. I am able to see everything and compete.”

On Saturday, the Aggies came off their Week 8 bye week motivated to prove that the 2023 campaign is not a lost cause just yet, facing a South Carolina team dealing with midseason roster attrition and poor play on both sides of the ball, providing A&M’s defense a clear opportunity to tee off on quarterback Spencer Rattler throughout the afternoon.

Despite scoring 17 points, the Aggie D limited the Gamecocks to 209 total yards (176 passing, 33 rushing) while recording four sacks and ten tackles for loss, led by Edgerrin Cooper (7 tackles, one sack, 2 TFLs) and standout safety Bryce Anderson (7 sacks, two sacks, 2 TFLs) as both returned from injuries in the loss to Tennessee.

Even more impressive? Four players recorded six or more tackles, while Cooper, Anderson, safety Demani Richardson, and edge Fadil Diggs all recorded a pass deflection, exhibiting their dominance at the line of scrimmage.

Dealing with early season scrutiny, second-year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin deserves much credit, especially in player development. While Edgerrin Cooper’s incredible rise as a future NFL early-round pick has stuck out consistently, it’s evident that nearly every contributor on the defensive line and the secondary has taken a step in their collective development and in a must-win to keep their season afloat, every defender who took the field on Saturday proved made an impact.

Texas A&M will now travel to Oxford (MS) to face the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 5, where the game will again air on ESPN at 11:00 a.m. CT.

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‘We can still make this season real, real special.’ Ainias Smith, Edgerrin Cooper, and Bryce Anderson recap win over South Carolina, and the path forward

After picking up a much-needed win, Ainias Smith, Edgerrin Cooper, and Bryce Anderson believe they can still make this season special.

As the dust settles on Week 9 of the college football season, the Bonham Trophy is back in College Station courtesy of Texas A&M’s (5-3, 3-2 SEC) 30-17 win over South Carolina (2-6, 1-5 SEC). Is it safe to say the Aggies are officially back?

Well, they’re back into the win column at least, thanks to a nice blend of elite defense and a relatively improved offense in Saturday’s win. But after two straight disheartening losses, A&M will gladly take a double-digit win over the Gamecocks. After all, it can serve as a precursor to the season’s much more promising finish.

As head coach Jimbo Fisher noted in his postgame presser, Texas A&M is now officially just one win away from bowl eligibility. But most importantly, a strong finish to the season would mark a paramount achievement in separating themselves from last season’s debacle.

Veteran leaders Ainias Smith and Edgerrin Cooper, as well as emerging defensive star Bryce Anderson, understand that latter goal all too well. They were here for the disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2022, and they are the ones who can ensure history ceases to repeat itself. As Smith aptly noted below, this team can still make the season “real, real special.”

Below are Smith and Cooper’s full postgame press conferences, as well as notable takeaways from their time at the podium.

‘Happy for our guys. Wasn’t perfect but did really good things.’ Jimbo Fisher believes win over South Carolina can spark a strong end to the season

After a much-needed win against South Carolina, Jimbo Fisher believes the opportunities are still there to make this season a success.

There’s no sugarcoating the obvious: Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) had to get back into the win column in Week 9. Courtesy of a 30-17 win against South Carolina (2-6, 1-5 SEC), the Aggies gave their season a much-needed injection of life.

By no means was Saturday’s win pretty, and it was by far a complete game on both sides of the ball. But another elite defensive performance paired nicely with a more-or-less improved offense to ensure the Bonham Trophy was welcomed back home in College Station.

The Aggies finally crept back into the 30-point scoring mark, courtesy of a trio of touchdowns from Reuben Owens II, Amari Daniels, and Ainias Smith. Despite another concerning performance from A&M’s offensive line, Max Johnson held his own in the pocket, finishing 20/30 for 249 yards and one touchdown without an interception.

In his postgame presser, Jimbo Fisher mirrored the same takeaways that could be had from the eye test. A&M’s performance was far from perfect, but they got a much-needed win when it mattered most, and most importantly, they have plenty of opportunities left ahead to close out the season successfully.

Below is Fisher’s full postgame press conference following Saturday’s win over South Carolina, including notable takeaways from his time at the podium.

Post Game Recap: Texas A&M defeats South Carolina 30-17 behind a blend of improved offense and elite defense

Behind a stifling defensive effort and improved play on offense, Texas A&M rebounded with a decisive 30-17 win over South Carolina.

Sitting at 4-3 and 2-2 in the SEC entering Week 9, Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher were focused entirely on the task at hand: making a statement at home against the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks.

While Fisher’s future at the helm remains one of the most significant talking points in college football, the only solution to cooling off his proverbial “Hot Seat” is to either win out or at least win four out of the Aggies’ final five games. Game on?

Coming out of the bye week, the return of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, defensive tackle Walter Nolen, and safety Bryce Anderson immediately bolstered the Aggies defense, but that’s about it, especially compared to the recent struggles on offense that have essentially destroyed Texas A&M’s chances of gaining any team cohesiveness.

Returning to a packed Kyle Field for the 11:00 a.m. kickoff against the Gamecocks, the Aggies would start the game on offense, and if you were looking for any immediate improvements after the bye, I’m sorry.

While Texas A&M’s offensive line has been a lost cause for most of the year, the utter collapse witnessed in consecutive losses to Alabama and Tennessee continued into Saturday, as quarterback Max Johnson (20/30, 249 yards, 1 TD) endured three sacks against one of the worst pass rushes in the SEC. At the same time, the veteran southpaw continued to hold the ball much too long in the process.

After several stalled drives, the Aggie’s stout defense had its first moment of weakness, allowing Gamecocks signal caller Spencer Rattler to pass his way down the field, leading to a 1-yard TD run from RB Dakereon Joyner. Finally gaining some offensive momentum, first-year OC Bobby Petrino opened up the playbook, focusing on the run game, specifically freshman RB Reuben Owens.

After Johnson connected with WR Evan Stewart on a 15-yard strike and hit TE Max Wright on a short gain, Owens weaved his way through defenders for a 14-year score to even things up at 7-7 with nine minutes remaining in the first half. While the Aggies’ defense continued to pressure Rattler to provide offense-added cushion, Max Johnson took a beating in the pocket.

However, Texas A&M’s short-yardage game starkly improved in critical moments late in the first half, as the Aggies took a 14-7 lead after an efficient 12-play drive that included four 3rd-down conversions and on 4th-down conversion (3-3 on the day), capped off by a 2-yard touchdown from sophomore RB Amari Daniels.

More offense before the half? After the Aggie’s tremendous pass rush notched its fourth sack on the day, Fisher, well-known for bleeding the clock before most halves while holding a slight lead, finally chose to trust his offense after taking a timeout with 1:12 remaining, leading to a one-play, 42-yard touchdown to do-it-all WR Ainias Smith, who would juke his way into the end zone to score his first receiving touchdown on the season and give the Aggies a solid 21-7 lead at the half—one heck of a second-quarter performance.

Second Half:

South Carolina opened the half desperate to do something on offense, and after an oddly lucky sequence of events in the passing game, kicker Mitch Jeter’s 49-yard FG cut into the lead at 21-10. With a semi-comfortable lead, Fisher and Petrino once again focused on the running game while loading the protection with 12-personnel looks. After two failed attempts to score a touchdown, Texas A&M would respond after a long 13-play drive ending with a 26-yard Randy Bond FG.

Despite the Aggie’s pass rush causing quarterback Spencer Rattler issues throughout the day, the senior would engineer an impressive 7-play touchdown drive on a 7-yard strike to WR Joshua Simon, bringing the Gamecocks within a score at the start of the fourth quarter. Still throwing confidently, Max Johnson continued to hit his targets through the air while the Aggies’ run game capitalized on the Gamecock’s poor tacking but could only muster a second consecutive Randy Bond FG after another failed red zone trip.

After multiple defensive stops, Bond hit a career-tying 52-yard FG with 7:39 remaining; Texas A&M’s 30-17 lead looked more and more decisive after every South Carolina offensive possession failed to get past midfield due to impressive play by the Aggie secondary in man coverage. Bond’s first miss on the day provided the Gamecocks with good field position to make something happen, but nevertheless, a fumble recovered by Aggie DT McKinnley Jackson would seal the game for the Maroon & White.

It wasn’t pretty offensively (outside of Ainias Smith’s 42-yard TD), as A&M has failed to score a second half touchdown in its last four games, but Jimbo Fisher and his resilient team, yes, found the inches and earned a much, much-needed victory to end their SEC losing streak and get back on track in their quest to finish strong in 2023.

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Texas A&M’s offense finds second quarter spark, leads South Carolina 21-7 at halftime

Texas A&M’s offense (finally) found a spark in the second quarter, building a 21-7 lead over South Carolina by halftime.

Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC) entered Week 9 fresh off the bye, and for the first quarter, it looked like the brief time off had a hangover effect. Finally, the Aggies offense found a spark in the second quarter to take an early lead over South Carolina (2-5, 1-4 SEC) by halftime.

Max Johnson was as efficient as he could be through the first quarters, completing 11/15 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown, without an interception. His performance was admirable given that A&M’s offensive line showed no improvement in their pass protection. Despite taking more than a few heavy hits, Johnson stood tall in the pocket to make his throws, even if he could get a few out quicker.

The Aggies defense once again put together an inspired performance, holding the Gamecocks to just one scoring drive, 49 total yards of offense, and a mere -1.9 yards per carry in the first half. Their ability to bottle up Spencer Rattler and South Carolina’s offense allowed A&M to, finally, find its spark offensively in the second quarter.

The Maroon and White scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, kicked off by a 14-yard touchdown run by Reuben Owens II.

Not being outdone by his fellow backfield teammate, Amari Daniels gave the Aggies the lead with a one-yard touchdown at the goal line.

Ainis Smith, aptly dubbed “Agent Zero,” caught South Carolina’s defense sleeping with a beautiful 42-yard touchdown reception from Johnson, giving Texas A&M a comfortable two-touchdown lead heading into the locker room.

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