What it meant for South Carolina to finally beat Texas A&M That GAME ‘was a personal
Oct 25, 2022
Elation flowed at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, with excitement emptying out of the student section and from the Gamecocks’ sideline. The celebration came after South Carolina’s fourth-straight win, but it was eight years in the making. South Carolina’s 30-24 win over Texas A&M was the first victory in program history against the Aggies. And the win meant something to the Gamecocks even if they downplayed the drought in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
“It’s been eight long years,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said. Coach Shane Beamer addressed the Gamecocks’ 0-8 all-time record against Texas A&M among the team, but told his players it had no bearing on the outcome of this season’s matchup.
Still, it remained in the back of their minds. “It was time to win this thing,” Beamer said. “Our guys believed that, had great confidence coming into the game and played really hard, and found a way to win it.” Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, and the annual series with South Carolina began in 2014. The Aggies won the previous eight games by an average of 18.9 points, with the closest defeat for the Gamecocks being a three-point margin in 2018. Redshirt senior cornerback Darius Rush, a team member for four of those losses, said it felt “amazing” to beat the Aggies finally. He even started to tear up after the game, he said.
“This game was a personal game,” Rush said. “And it meant a lot.” South Carolina brought the electricity early on Saturday night. Xavier Legette returned the opening kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown, then Darius Rush returned an interception for 59 yards on the Aggies’ opening drive to set up a USC field goal.
On Texas A&M’s second drive, defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway recovered a fumble that led to a Christian Beal-Smith rushing touchdown and gave the Gamecocks a quick 17-0 advantage. Though the visiting Aggies trailed 17-14 at halftime, USC never relinquished the lead. The team credited the crowd’s energy throughout the game. The noise in Williams-Brice Stadium led to eight false starts for Texas A&M and gave South Carolina an added boost.
“That was for sure the loudest game I’ve been a part of,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “When Xavier (Legette) took that 100-yard kick return back, it was just electric. My chest was pumping from the sound of the crowd.” Emotions were high for both teams. A brief scuffle broke out at the end of the third quarter in the middle of the field. The two teams exchanged words going into the final 15 minutes. “That was just a lot of passion,” Rush said. “There was a lot of grit going into that game.”
Lloyd seemed to put the game out of reach by scoring a touchdown with 3:08 left in the game. But the Aggies blocked South Carolina’s extra point, and the lead stayed at nine points. Texas A&M failed on fourth down on its next drive, but the Gamecocks also couldn’t move the chains on their own fourth down in the next possession. The Aggies then scored a field goal to cut the lead to six and recovered an onside kick to give them one last chance to take the lead.
But Bam Martin-Scott hit A&M quarterback Conner Weigman as he attempted to throw, forcing the incompletion, sealing the win, and setting up a joyous locker room. “We’re like brothers,” Legette said. “We’re going to celebrate every time.” The winner of the South Carolina-Texas A&M game typically wins the Bonham Trophy, but the Gamecocks have never had the opportunity to bring it home. Now, they’ll have to make room for it in South Carolina. “Let’s find that trophy, wherever it is, and bring it back to Columbia,” Beamer said.
Oct 25, 2022
Elation flowed at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, with excitement emptying out of the student section and from the Gamecocks’ sideline. The celebration came after South Carolina’s fourth-straight win, but it was eight years in the making. South Carolina’s 30-24 win over Texas A&M was the first victory in program history against the Aggies. And the win meant something to the Gamecocks even if they downplayed the drought in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
“It’s been eight long years,” running back MarShawn Lloyd said. Coach Shane Beamer addressed the Gamecocks’ 0-8 all-time record against Texas A&M among the team, but told his players it had no bearing on the outcome of this season’s matchup.
Still, it remained in the back of their minds. “It was time to win this thing,” Beamer said. “Our guys believed that, had great confidence coming into the game and played really hard, and found a way to win it.” Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, and the annual series with South Carolina began in 2014. The Aggies won the previous eight games by an average of 18.9 points, with the closest defeat for the Gamecocks being a three-point margin in 2018. Redshirt senior cornerback Darius Rush, a team member for four of those losses, said it felt “amazing” to beat the Aggies finally. He even started to tear up after the game, he said.
“This game was a personal game,” Rush said. “And it meant a lot.” South Carolina brought the electricity early on Saturday night. Xavier Legette returned the opening kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown, then Darius Rush returned an interception for 59 yards on the Aggies’ opening drive to set up a USC field goal.
On Texas A&M’s second drive, defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway recovered a fumble that led to a Christian Beal-Smith rushing touchdown and gave the Gamecocks a quick 17-0 advantage. Though the visiting Aggies trailed 17-14 at halftime, USC never relinquished the lead. The team credited the crowd’s energy throughout the game. The noise in Williams-Brice Stadium led to eight false starts for Texas A&M and gave South Carolina an added boost.
“That was for sure the loudest game I’ve been a part of,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “When Xavier (Legette) took that 100-yard kick return back, it was just electric. My chest was pumping from the sound of the crowd.” Emotions were high for both teams. A brief scuffle broke out at the end of the third quarter in the middle of the field. The two teams exchanged words going into the final 15 minutes. “That was just a lot of passion,” Rush said. “There was a lot of grit going into that game.”
Lloyd seemed to put the game out of reach by scoring a touchdown with 3:08 left in the game. But the Aggies blocked South Carolina’s extra point, and the lead stayed at nine points. Texas A&M failed on fourth down on its next drive, but the Gamecocks also couldn’t move the chains on their own fourth down in the next possession. The Aggies then scored a field goal to cut the lead to six and recovered an onside kick to give them one last chance to take the lead.
But Bam Martin-Scott hit A&M quarterback Conner Weigman as he attempted to throw, forcing the incompletion, sealing the win, and setting up a joyous locker room. “We’re like brothers,” Legette said. “We’re going to celebrate every time.” The winner of the South Carolina-Texas A&M game typically wins the Bonham Trophy, but the Gamecocks have never had the opportunity to bring it home. Now, they’ll have to make room for it in South Carolina. “Let’s find that trophy, wherever it is, and bring it back to Columbia,” Beamer said.
