FAIREY CHEVROLET Drive to College Station: Everything you need to know ahead of South Carolina-Texas A&M

South Carolina didn’t play over the weekend thanks to the open date. The second bye week of the season carries the Gamecocks into the final three weeks of the regular season. Shane Beamer’s team holds a 3-6 overall record and a 1-6 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

To reach traditional bowl eligibility and six wins, South Carolina will need to win out. Likely the hardest test of the three remaining games comes this weekend. USC will travel out to College Station, Texas for the Battle for the Bonham Trophy against Texas A&M.

The 16-hour drive (or, more likely, two-hour flight plus a short drive) will send the ‘Cocks across a time zone and into an opportunity to ruin the Aggies’ unblemished 2025 season.

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Here’s what you need to know heading into game ten. (GamecockCentral will release a Texas A&M preview later in the week.)

The resumes

• After being ranked in the top 10 earlier this season, South Carolina is not even in the “also receiving votes” portion of the polls heading into this week. Texas A&M, on the other hand, is No. 3 in the AP rankings, coaches poll, and College Football Playoff rankings. That is the team’s highest ranking of the year.
• South Carolina’s standing in the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) took a slight dip during the bye week. USC dropped to No. 40 overall. The Gamecocks also shifted down in offensive efficiency to No. 94 nationally. Defensively, they actually moved up a bit to No. 26 in the country. Special teams remains in the top 10, slotting in at No. 6 in college football. Texas A&M (No. 7 in the FPI) enters the weekend ranked No. 9 on offense, No. 13 on defense, and No. 64 on special teams.
• Last season, South Carolina went 9-4 and 5-3 in the SEC. Texas A&M went 8-5 and 5-3 in the SEC. So far this year, the Gamecocks are 3-6 (1-6), while the Aggies are 9-0 (6-0).
• The Gamecocks put quarterback LaNorris Sellers, EDGE Dylan Stewart, and DB Jalon Kilgore on the preseason All-SEC squad. Meanwhile, running back Le’Veon Moss, offensive linemen Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, Chase Bisontis, and Trey Zuhn III, linebacker Taurean York, and defensive back Will Lee III made the preseason All-SEC team for Texas A&M.

Recent news

• South Carolina lost to Ole Miss two weeks ago, 30-14, before the second bye week.
• Texas A&M beat Missouri last week, 38-17.
• Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer let go of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley following the LSU loss. Tight ends coach Shawn Elliott has shifted over to lead the position room, taking over a role he held for seven years under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp. Former analyst Ben Burress has since taken over as the team’s tight ends coach.
• Following the Ole Miss loss, Beamer also fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Mike Furrey will be the Gamecocks’ interim playcaller. Tight ends coach/run game coordinator/interim offensive line coach Shawn Elliott will have an increased role in the weekly game planning. The same is true of the rest of the offensive staff, per Beamer. Assistant quarterbacks coach Davis Koetter and Furrey have increased their work with the QBs.

Updates from the coaches

• South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media earlier this week.
  • During Beamer’s press conference, he shared a few things:
    • Beamer shared that the Furrey/Elliott offense has shifted some things with the playbook, both adding to and subtracting from the game plan.
    • He said the fans should remain optimistic because USC has been close in the fourth quarter of almost every game.
    • You can see everything that Beamer said here.
• The Gamecock coordinators will also speak to the media on Wednesday.
• Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko also spoke to the media this week. This story will update with his comments later.
• Defensive line coach Travian Robertson, who was involved in a serious car accident this preseason, has recently gotten more involved with team activities. While he remains in a reduced role, defensive assistant Jordan Dove and assistant strength coach Jamil Walker have stepped into bigger roles. Robertson had his final surgery recently.
• South Carolina had a new offensive coordinator this season, as Mike Shula, who was an analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024, took over for Dowell Loggains, who is now the head coach at Appalachian State. The Gamecocks have changed that again, as Mike Furrey is the interim playcaller following Shula’s dismissal. Conversely, Texas A&M returned all of its coordinators from last season. The Aggies did add Lyle Hemphill, who holds the title of associate head coach (defense), this offseason.

Notes on game ten

• South Carolina and Texas A&M will play for the 12th time on Saturday. The game will also mark the sixth all-time trip to College Station for the Gamecocks.
• The winner of South Carolina-Texas A&M earns the Bonham Trophy, named for James Bonham, a Palmetto State native who was a hero at the Battle of the Alamo.
• USC running backs coach Marquel Blackwell was at Texas A&M for one season prior to joining the South Carolina program.
• Last season, South Carolina won, 44-20, over top 10 Texas A&M in Columbia.
• This is the Gamecocks’ fifth game in a row against a top 15 opponent.

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History

• Texas A&M owns the overall series advantage, 9-2.
• The Gamecocks have won two of three in the series, winning the last two games in Williams-Brice Stadium.
• South Carolina has never won in College Station.
• Last season, South Carolina won in Columbia, 44-20.

Injuries

• Early in the week, head coach Shane Beamer provided some injury updates.
  • Beamer shared, officially, that EDGE players George Wilson and Jaylen Brown are out for the year. He mentioned that fellow EDGE Kobby Sakyi-Prah has been out the entire season but didn’t indicate if he was 100% done for the year, too. Offensive lineman Ryan Brubaker returned to practice this week.
• With the first SEC-mandated availability report coming on Wednesday, more of the injury picture will be known soon.
• EDGE players George Wilson, Kobby Sakyi-Prah, and Jaylen Brown have long-term injuries, and so do defensive back Zahbari Sandy, offensive lineman Cason Henry, and defensive lineman Caleb Williams.

Depth chart movement for the Gamecocks

• South Carolina has not posted a new depth chart this week. You can see the entire depth chart from last week here.
  • Most of the depth chart movement this season has come after the Gamecocks have already altered the rotation. That happened with the latest update before the Ole Miss contest. Below are some of the shifts to the depth chart between the Alabama matchup and the Ole Miss game.
    • At wide receiver, Jayden Sellers was a co-starter in the slot, though he missed the game with an injury. He joined Mazeo Bennett and Brian Rowe as co-starters. Nyck Harbor remained a starter outside. At the other receiver spot, there was another three-man group of co-starters: Vandrevius Jacobs, Donovan Murph, and Jared Brown.
    • On the offensive line, Tree Babalade was officially the starter at right tackle following Cason Henry’s injury announcement, though he had played the previous several weeks. Damola Ajidahun was his backup. Though he hasn’t played at all in over a month, Nolan Hay was a co-starter at center with Boaz Stanley.
    • There were no changes to the defensive depth chart

How to watch/listen

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Television/Streaming

The Gamecocks and Aggies will play on ESPN this weekend while the ESPN app makes the contest available via streaming, as well. Kickoff is set for noon (Eastern).

The ESPN crew will include Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter).

Radio

Nationally, ESPN Radio will carry the SEC showdown; Marc Kestecher (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline reporter) will be on the call. Sirius XM will also have the game available on channel 380.

Locally, Todd Ellis (play-by-play), Tommy Suggs (analyst), and Chet Tucker (sideline reporter) will be on the call on 107.5 The Game.

Fans can also stream the radio broadcast on the 107.5 The Game app.

Local radio affiliates include:

Aiken/Augusta, GA WYBO-FM 92.9
Allendale WDOG-FM 93.5
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-AM 1350
Asheville, N.C. WZGM-FM 96.1
Camden WCAM-AM 1590
Charleston WTMZ-FM 98.9
Chesterfield WVSZ-FM 107.3
Columbia WNKT-FM 107.5
Florence WFRK-FM 95.3
Gaffney WZZQ-AM 1500
Gaffney WZZQ-FM 104.3
Greenville WROO-FM 104.9
Greenwood WCZZ-AM 1090
Marion, N.C. WBRM-AM 1250
Marion, N.C. WBRM-FM 103.9
Myrtle Beach WSEA-FM 100.3
Newberry WKDK-AM 1240
Rock Hill/Lancaster WRHM-FM 107.1
Spartanburg WSPG-AM 1400
Spartanburg WSPG-FM 98.3
Sumter WIBZ-FM 95.5
Union WBCU-AM 1460
Union WBCU-FM 103.5

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