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Texas A&M heads back on the road to face No. 21 South Carolina for the first time since the 2024 season, and after last season's epic comeback 31-30 win over the Gamecocks, coming back from a 30-3 halftime deficit, which nearly led to South Carolina coach Shane Beamer losing his job.
However, both programs are on very different trajectories, as the Gamecocks have reeled off three consecutive wins, including last Saturday's 45-25 road win over Oklahoma, while the Aggies enter Week 10 with just one victory in SEC play against Arkansas, and did not score touchdowns in road losses to LSU and Missouri.
Texas A&M's offense has been dreadful, especially starting quarterback Marcel Reed, who leads the Aggies' 109th passing attack, and has thrown for just 1,380 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while coach Mike Elko's decision to keep him as the starter has received plenty of skepticism from the fan base and most in the media.
Under first-year offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, Texas A&M's offense ranked 70th nationally and 72nd in rushing, while freshman running back KJ Edwards has helped the rushing attack and now leads the team with 360 yards and two touchdowns after taking over as the starter.
Bottom line, if Texas A&M's offense once again looks lifeless against South Carolina's defense, which ranks 91st in pass defense and 73rd in third-down defense, Holmon Wiggins' job security will likely be on life support, and Mike Elko could end up moving on before the season ends to get a head start on finding the program's next OC.
Mike Elko made the mistake of elevating Wiggins and first-year defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill instead of going outside the program to replace Collin Klein and Jay Bateman, and while he certainly would like to give Wiggins a second year with a different signal caller, the pressure is on to make drastic changes before the offseason.