Texas A&M
South Carolina
Texas A&M Rolls Past South Carolina for 30-17 Victory
Oct 28, 2023 | Football
Ainias Smith led A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) with one receiving touchdown and a team-high 118 receiving yards on six catches. Max Johnson completed 20-of-30 passes for 249 yards and one aerial strike, while Amari Daniels led the ground effort with 68 yards on 13 carries and a rushing touchdown.
Bryce Anderson paced the defense with a season-high seven tackles, including 2.5 for loss and 2.0 sacks. Edgerrin Cooper added seven tackles, four quarterback hurries, 1.0 sack and a forced fumble.
Twenty-one unanswered points in the second quarter by Ol' Sarge's charges gave them a 21-7 at the half. After Texas A&M gave up a late first quarter score, Rueben Owens put the Aggies on the board with a 14-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game with 9:00 remaining in the first half.
Texas A&M captured its first lead with less than two-minutes left in the opening half after Daniels punched it in with a 1-yard rush into the end zone. The Maroon & White made it a two-score game in the final minute after Johnson connected with Smith for a 20-yard pass before Smith dashed into the end zone to complete the 42-yard touchdown reception.
The Gamecocks (2-6, 1-5 SEC) opened the scoring in the second half with a 49-yard field goal, followed by a 26-yard field goal from Randy Bond to make it 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
South Carolina would score on the opening play of the final frame to make it 24-17 in favor of the Aggies, but the Maroon & White struck back with a 24-yard Bond field goal to extend the lead back to double-digits, 27-17, with 11:00 left in the fourth.
The A&M defense forced a turnover on downs that led to a career-long tying 52-yard field goal by Bond with 7:39 remaining to increase the margin to 30-17. Cooper forced a fumble with 2:45 left that was recovered McKinnley Jackson to seal the deal.
Postgame Notes: A&M 30, SC 17
Team Notes
- The Texas A&M defense held South Carolina to just 33 rushing yards in the game, marking the fourth time this season the Aggies have kept their opponent under 100 yards and the third time in SEC action.
- The Aggies limited the opposition to less than 225 yards of total offense for the fifth time this season, giving up just 209 yards, and have not allowed an opponent to tally over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.
- Today's captains against South Carolina were OL Layden Robinson, DL McKinnley Jackson, DB Demani Richardson and WR Ainias Smith.
- Graduate WR Ainias Smith's 42-yard receiving touchdown was his first of the season and 18th of his career. He is now in sole possession of seventh all-time at A&M in career receiving touchdowns, breaking the tie with Mike Evans (2012-13).
- He finished the day with 118 receiving yards to record the sixth 100-yard game of his career and his second of the season.
- Smith also moved into A&M's all-time top 10 in all-purpose yards with 119 on the day to up his career total to 3,683, which is good for ninth in program history.
- Smith's first catch of the game extended his consecutive games with a reception streak to 35. This is the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.
- Sophomore WR Evan Stewart cracked A&M's career receptions list with six catches on the day to put him in a tie for 27th with Speedy Noil (2014-16) with 88 career receptions.
- Sophomore DB Bryce Anderson helped lead the defense with a season-high seven tackles, while registering the first sacks of his career as he finished with 2.0 for 26 yards lost.
- Junior LB Edgerrin Cooper helped lead the way with seven takedowns and a career-high four hurries.
- Cooper continued his dominance in SEC play behind the line of scrimmage, adding 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack, marking the fourth time he has had multiple TFLs and at least 1.0 sack through five SEC games.
- Junior PK Randy Bond sent a 52-yard field goal through the uprights in the fourth quarter to match his career long and the third 50-plus yard field goal he has made this season.
Postgame Quotes: Jimbo Fisher
COACH FISHER: Happy for our guys. Got a win. Learn how to win again. Handle the things you got to handle. Like I said, it wasn't perfect. But some really good things in the game. Didn't start how we wanted to offensively, three and out, and we give up a drive for a touchdown. And back and forth with some possessions there. Offense, we got sluggish and then we got hot in the 2nd quarter. Got 21 points and did a good job.
We didn't protect Max [Johnson] early. Had a missed assignment on a protection. Then we got beat on one. He got hit a couple times and it affects you, and we couldn't hit the pockets. We had some things open, and then we got balance in the second quarter and got the running game going a little bit. Got some shorter throws. Got the ball out. Got him in a rhythm and then we were able to score three drives in the second half. The last two had a long drive right before the half and being able to come back two minutes before the half and hit the big play with Ainias [Smith]. Again, up 21-7. We came with our defense.
After that one drive, I think we only had 49, 50 yards at halftime. Did a great job.
Unfortunately, come out second half, they hit a couple plays and give up a field goal and got back in it. Then we had a chance on a deep ball and just miss it. And then get three and out. They get back in the drive, and we have a 14-play drive. We got a field goal. We needed a touchdown. I thought it was a touchdown, that's all. But it is what it is. We missed it by inches.
The guys on the field I thought called a good game. I could see them calling. On the replay, I thought we'd get it back. They moved it back. And then we answered every time. Just needed to score some touchdowns down there. Had a couple we needed to and hit the field goal.
But then defense had -- after those first two drives in the second half, two out of the first three drives. Then they got back and got pressure back on and started by making coverages. They broke a couple runs in the second half.
Still played a really good game defensively. Solid game offensively. Max [Johnson] got better as it went, hit a big third down. Ainias [Smith] crossed the middle there late. About third and 12 we get the big overroute and got it in there.
And we got to get better. Going to take it on the road. That was a good win here at home, and let's continue to grow.
Q. Over the last two weeks, how much progress have you seen in the offense?
COACH FISHER: You don't know that until you play. And today, we saw some things that were really good. We rebounded and moved the ball in the running game a little bit better. We'll see as we go. That's going to find out on game day. You can say it on the practice field. In fact, there's days out, we gash our defense up and down the field. We still got to take it to a game day, so that's where I make my judgments.
Q. Did Max [Johnson] make the right throw when he threw the touchdown that you didn't get?
COACH FISHER: Well, there's two things. He has a corner and he has a flat. And here's the other thing, I was hoping he hit -- because both of them went deep, but you got to remember, you got a nine technique, at 6'4" right in your face. And when you come off, sometimes the hardest guy to see is the closest guy between you and him.
So what he did there, which I like -- I talk about aggressive intelligence. He threw a ball that gives us a chance to make a touchdown. But if we missed, it was going to be out of bounds where we didn't get it and that was just a naked bootleg. Nobody missed a block. There was nothing. It was just a naked. They had pressure off the edge.
In his defense, I think he made a really smart throw and a good throw. I thought we had a touchdown but didn't in that situation.
Q. In the past few weeks, you had the situation where you had to call time-out late on defense to get the punt. You did this week. What was the situation this week that -
COACH FISHER: We were backed up. We had them backed on our 25 and they're kicking into the wind. So you're going to get great field position. You're in midfield, and you call time-out, that's great, but you're getting the ball back inside your 10 or 15-yard line. If you go back and watch the South Carolina-Tennessee game, 17-10 at the half, you know broke that game open? They were going to two minute -- throwing 15, Spencer Rattler, threw a pick 6.
Mississippi State -- when you're backed up inside your 20, 25-yard line and that time and how the flow of the game goes, you got to be smart about where you're doing it and what your situation -- whatever happens. But we had field position. They were going to have better field position because they were punting into the wind.
Q. And another week, probably should have been a touchdown.
COACH FISHER: I'll give you an example. You start inside the 10 and go two minutes, at the 10 or 15-yard line, and don't get a first down. They use a time-out or you save time-out. You're punting. Now, they get the ball at the 40-yard line, they're going two-minute back to win the game.
So depending on when, situation and game, and who your opponent is makes a big difference. The analytic book needs to say that who your opponent is and what the situation and the wind and weather. It's in the moment of the game. That needs to be in your analytics.
Q. Didn't score a touchdown, even though you probably should have, in the second half. What's the difference in the second half to first half?
COACH FISHER: Just got to execute a couple plays. We missed a third down by a yard. We had a fourth and 1. Probably would have went for it but that puts us up two scores, so I wanted to get up two scores, 27-17. And we didn't execute. We had a play didn't execute.
Q. How impressed were you with your pass rush particularly in second quarter where it was three straight positions where they had intentional grounding?
COACH FISHER: Like I say, that was counting sacks. We did a good job of keeping him in the pocket because he can run. Our guys, after the first or second drive of the game they had -- for second quarter there about three or four drives, we were down. Played the run well. Kind of in long-yardage situations and transition to pass rush, which is what you want to do.
Q. Each situation is different but what's it say about your guys to convert all four of their fourth and 1s?
COACH FISHER: Many situations. Those analytics, when they don't convert, cost you the game. When you do convert, it looks good.
And those were fourth and probably less than even half a yard. One was about a yard. The other one was over a yard. But we were at the 30, in that gray zone and had the lead in the game. And we felt good about the matchups and what we were running and the plan we had.
It's big when you get them. And we got them in a crucial where they had a bad snap. Fourth and 1, had a bad snap, which got us points in the second half. And then we got two or three more minutes off the clock.
Q. Was Le'Veon Moss --
COACH FISHER: He pulled a hammy when he got face masked on that next-to-last play. He hurt it and then he got first and jerked his hamstring. We thought he was close to being able to play, but we made a game-time decision not to play him. He should be good to go next week.
Q. How did you think of your other two running backs?
COACH FISHER: They had a couple nice runs in there. Amari [Daniels] broke good runs. And they got going in there. I think we had one pass pro. Had us a sack. One with pass protection. Only missed one. They did a good job. Got the running game going solid.
Q. Was the plan to rotate the cornerbacks a little bit?
COACH FISHER: Yeah, we wanted to keep the corners rotating. And 7 (Tyreek Chappell) got banged up.
Q. You like [Sam] McCall's performance?
COACH FISHER: Yeah, I'll go back and watch it. I saw him make some plays. I'll wait until I watch the film.
Q. Jimbo, can you just give us an update on Noah Thomas when he left the game?
COACH FISHER: He got the wind knocked out of him. They let him come back in.
ALAN CANNON: Yeah, he was cleared to come back.
Q. When you look at Ainias [Smith] now, top 10 all-time, his ability to create separation and create a quarterback security blanket?
COACH FISHER: His ability to create separation is physical but it's also mental. He knows how to set you up. He understands football. He understands leverage. He understands angles. Changes speeds and what you're trying to accomplish on the play.
He's a very physically and gifted football player, but he's a tremendous competitor. But he's also a very smart football player. When you put that combination together, it's hard to control.
Q. Edgerrin [Cooper] had another great game also.
COACH FISHER: That guy is playing tremendous football. His eyes, where he's at, the big fumble at the end, the sack. I mean, playing special teams. He's playing -- knock on wood, he's playing tremendous football.
He's like an eraser. You always talk about erasers, and erasers are guys that have great athleticism or in closed space and make plays and game-changing plays. He's able to do that whether he's rushing a pass or tackling or stripping. Playing really good football.
Q. You talked about those fourth downs, a couple of them in your own half. How much of those, aside from, like you said, the matchups and what you saw are a deliberate by-product of giving confidence in your guys to say, Hey, I'm putting a lot of confidence in making this call?
COACH FISHER: Those are things I thought we could do, and we were able to do them. They carried us, and we won some field position with it.
Max [Johnson] scored on two of them. Two of them we didn't score, but we got good field position on them.
Q. Coach, you addressed it during your opening statement, but how big was it for you guys to pick up the win with what's coming up heading to Oxford (Ole Miss)?
COACH FISHER: Yeah, whoever is next in your SEC, we're one game away from that goal of being bowl-eligible. and then keep rocking down the road in four games.
Just to feel how to win again. You don't realize that. Just making that one or two plays, the inches you're talking about all the time, being able to do it. It was good to do it here.
Postgame Quotes: Ainias Smith
Q. A couple weeks ago, you were talking about how you hadn't gotten into the end zone as a receiver yet. Now you're off the schneid. How do you feel?
AINIAS SMITH: Hey, man, I'm blessed. All I can say, I'm blessed, for sure. Feels good.
Q. Ainias, I know last couple weeks, y'all have had the opportunity to maybe call a time-out, get the punt before halftime and have a two-minute drill. Y'all you were able to do it this week. How good did it feel to have that confidence and be able to make the most of that opportunity?
AINIAS SMITH: Man, it felt real good. You know what I'm saying? Especially with the team, the team being able to come together and actually execute the things that we've been working on. I feel real good about that.
Our coaches put us in a real good predicament to go ahead and get the plays out, you know what I'm saying, and get the ball to the players that we needed to, you know what I'm saying.
I feel like we did a real good job on that drive. I think it was like three plays or something like. We was going. So I definitely love that about our future and where we're heading into, most definitely.
Q. As an offensive player, when you see your defense force a fourth down and it's under two minutes before the half, is it always, hey, give us the ball, give us the ball, we want to make this happen?
AINIAS SMITH: Most definitely. We always practice for situations like that. And just when it comes to four-minute situations or two-minute situations right before the half, coming out of the half or right at the end of the game, you know what I'm saying, we're always working on little things like that.
I'm very thankful for our defense for the way they played today. And man, every time they go out there, just like you say, we're always expecting to go ahead and get the ball and go up a score.
So most definitely, proud of our defense, proud of our team, and proud of our coaches.
Q. Just from your perspective, how much progress you think y'all have made offensively since Tennessee? I know it's only been one game, but you had the two weeks of practice and everything and then today.
AINIAS SMITH: To be honest, I feel like we did a real good job coming together during the bye week, you know what I'm saying. After a two-week loss streak, we came together as a team. And like, we were holding each other accountable, every day, all throughout the week.
And I feel like we definitely have grown together as a brotherhood and as an offense. You know what I'm saying? And I feel like all of that started with the practices and holding each other accountable and whatnot. And I feel like it showed.
Now, at the same time, I do feel like we started a little slow. You know what I'm saying? I feel like we definitely can come a lot harder and stronger and get some better results that we expect for ourselves. But I mean, we ended up getting a W, so it was nice.
Q. I'm not sure if you know this, but with your catch today, you surpassed and you're now in top 10 in all-purpose yards in Texas A&M history. Just for you in this moment, but also knowing you got the W at the same time, how does that make you feel?
AINIAS SMITH: Man, I'm blessed. I'm blessed. That's a blessing, most definitely. I'm really lost for words. I mean, I just got to keep going. You know what I'm saying? I got to keep striving. It's definitely nice to be top ten, but like I said before, I'm trying to be one. Most definitely.
Q. And then no Le'Veon [Moss] today. Instead, you guys relied heavily on Amari [Daniels] and Rueben [Owens]. What did you think of their performance and where they can still grow moving forward for the rest of the month of November?
AINIAS SMITH: Yeah, man, 4 (Amari Daniels) came out there. I know he didn't get to start the game today. But at the same time, he was working. You know what I'm saying? He tried to keep a cool, level head all throughout the week. And he came out today composed, confident. You know what I'm saying? And just really showed everybody that he is still that guy. You know what I'm saying?
And 2 (Rueben Owens) came out, ran the ball real strong. You know what I'm saying? He did a real good job for us. I know he was wanting to break a few of those runs. He was real close a few times. But man, I just know, both of those guys, they're going to be real, real special. They just got to keep working.
Q. I have a couple of questions for you. First, it just seems like you guys still struggle in the second half to be able to put the ball in the end zone.
AINIAS SMITH: What's your question?
Q. Can you talk about why that might be? What seems to be keeping you from being able to score touchdowns instead of having to settle for field goals?
AINIAS SMITH: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely tough, you know what I'm saying, not being able to get the results that you want. Putting up three points instead of six does hurt sometimes, a lot of the times, all the time. You know what I'm saying?
But at the same time, we just got to keep moving forward. You know what I'm saying? Not able to -- we just got to learn. We really have to learn from where we are. And I know that we're not necessarily getting the results that we had wanted, you know, with touchdowns and whatnot. We just got to keep working and keep learning.
Q. How big was it for you guys to pick up a win today and start off your second half and pick up some momentum going into Oxford (Ole Miss) next week?
AINIAS SMITH: Man, I feel like it was huge. You know what I'm saying? We got four more games left. We talked about the back-end of the season, the five games, I guess you can call it like streak, I guess. But man, we have to continue to grow. You know what I'm saying? Not only for right now but for the future and all of that and whatnot.
But at the same time, these four games ahead of us, we can still make the season real, real special. You know what I'm saying? We got to do what we can do coming up this week. And really, starting tomorrow, on Sunday, making sure everybody is where they are at on time, because Ole Miss is not a place to joke around or play around with them. You got to be on your top ten toes all the time.
So I just feel like it's definitely big for us to get this win, get a little bit of momentum going into next week. And we just got to come harder.
Q. What are some of the things going into the break offensively that you said, Hey, even though we got some downtime, maybe we feel good about how we're trending in this, let's not lose this, and maybe some other places where you took a mindset of -- maybe not a reset, learn from your mistakes, but let's kind of clean slate?
AINIAS SMITH: Yes, one thing I feel like we needed was some rest and recovery. You know what I'm saying? I really emphasized to our guys, make sure you're going to sleep at night. Make sure you're getting the right nutrition. Make sure you're getting in the training room, getting the right treatments, and get your body right during this break. Really take advantage of the time that we have off, but not necessarily off.
And then the times that we didn't have off, when it came to school or it came to, you know, workouts and doing like practices and whatnot, I always told the guys, make sure you guys are doing extra. Don't get behind. You know what I'm saying? Even during your workouts, do a little extra, extra reps, extra weight, whatever it is.
You don't want to come out of this bye week sluggish. You know what I'm saying? So make sure you are not necessarily pressing, but you going hard in every aspect, just so when that time come, this week, you are going to need it.
I feel like we did a pretty good job during the bye week of all of those things. And it low-key showed today, but I still feel like we can do a whole lot better.
Q. Going back to the two-minute drill situation. How much did Coach [Fisher] talk to you about -- I'm interested in the one after y'all scored. You start calling the time-outs when you're getting stops. It seemed like that helped your defense maybe have them have second thoughts about going for it, because they saw what you can do. How much did y'all talk about the importance of that side of it as well?
AINIAS SMITH: Coach talks about it all the time. We talk about those situations every Thursday. We do two-minute drills Thursdays. We do them on Wednesdays. You know what I'm saying? But it's a huge part of the game. You know what I'm saying? Because you never know what can happen. And there's always something that is going to happen in the two minutes, whether it's good or it's bad. Or whatever time is left, you know what I'm saying? So you got to be prepared for every situation.
Defense did a real good job. You know what I'm saying? And what they were doing in their two-minute situations. And shoot, just -- I give that to the coaches, for real.
Q. What do you think is the difference between last year's team and this year's in the sense that you were in a similar situation last season. And this season, it seems like you're not letting it snowball?
AINIAS SMITH: That's a great question. I feel like the mindset is totally different. You know what I'm saying? I feel like last year, we kind of allowed ourselves to, like, take the edge off, you know what I'm saying, and not press as much and not go as hard, and allow ourselves to almost be losers. You know what I'm saying?
I feel like this year, the mindset is totally different. First off, we're not happy with where we are. We are very upset. I feel like where we are right now is -- I mean, of course, everybody in here probably didn't want. But at the same time, we got to go. You know what I'm saying? We're not able to allow what happened last year happen this year again. You know what I'm saying?
So I just feel like the mindset is totally different. And the leadership and the accountability has definitely been on the top-tier level. So I just feel like all of those things, working together, has really made us into what we are.
Q. Are you able to watch Edgerrin Cooper? And like, how amazed are you by him sometimes?
AINIAS SMITH: I was just telling him today right after the game, he was putting his little clip up or whatever, I was like, Bro, you so cold. Most definitely. I definitely be watching him.
I don't know if y'all see me, but when the defense is out there, I rarely be sitting down, for real. I may sit down coming off the little drive that we had or whatever. But I'm always up and tuned into the defense because I'm low-key trying to see what they're going to do.
And on top of that, I got to be ready for third-down alerts, punt returns, and stuff like that. But most definitely, I'm always watching them boys. And [Edgerrin] Cooper is definitely a dog. I'm very happy the way he played today, most definitely.
Q. I'm not sure if you knew this, but today you now have more receiving yards this season than you've had any season. And there's still four games left, plus bowl game. So wondering what differences you see in your game this year? If there's anything you've seen that you've improved on?
AINIAS SMITH: That's crazy. I didn't know that either.
But I'll say, I'm just playing a little bit more relentless. You know what I'm saying? When it comes to the man in front of me, I'm not trying to lose. Like, I'm a sore loser, real, real bad. And I know I'm my biggest critic. You know what I'm saying? And I know I don't want to be in the same place that I was in a couple weeks ago.
So I just try to go hard and try to win my space every rep. You know what I'm saying? And I feel like the way I'm playing now, compared to what I was playing like in the previous years, shoot, I'm just trying to win, man. I just want my dogs around me to see my efforts so they can, you know, match me.
Q. Do you think Max Wright caught a touchdown on that one?
AINIAS SMITH: Yes. Yes. Tut, yes, big tut. Saw that catch and all that, yes.
Q. Did you think that at first or did you think that after maybe looking at the scoreboard?
AINIAS SMITH: I thought that at first. When I was going out on the field, I said that's a tut. Then they stopped the game or whatever to review it. I looked up again. I said but that is a tut. And then we had to go back out there. I said, but that's a tut, bro, like --
Q. Did you say anything to Max [Wright]?
AINIAS SMITH: Most definitely. I said -- well, I'm probably not able to say that on here. [Laughter]
Most definitely. I feel like they snaked him in a way.
Q. You guys had to settle for a field goal. You kind of touched on it. How much have you guys talked about finishing with six in the red zone instead of just three?
AINIAS SMITH: Yeah, man, I'll try to preach that as much as I can. You know what I'm saying? And I feel like the guys low-key get annoyed with it a little bit, but I honestly don't care. I'm trying to win. So I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure we're all on the same page. You know what I'm saying?
And me personally, I'm trying to score. You know what I'm saying? So I'm trying to get all my dogs around me on the same page. But it was tough that we had to settle for three. You know what I'm saying?
I'm glad Randy [Bond] made the field goal. Very proud of Randy and specialists and what they've been doing, especially during the bye week. Boys been getting right. But we just got to keep working man, for sure.
Postgame Quotes: Bryce Anderson
Q. Bryce, you guys got Spencer Rattler to have three intentional groundings. What was working for you guys, working on the field against the offensive line?
BRYCE ANDERSON: Changing the look on post-snap and showing them things pre-snap, changing it on post-snap. And then really just bringing the pressure, bringing five guys, bringing six guys, and really just coming after them.
Q. And Edgerrin Cooper with another dominant game. Is there anything that doesn't surprise you anymore with this guy? No, nothing at all. Coop practices hard Monday through Thursday. Balls out. He goes hard every week Everything he's doing right now, not surprising.
Q. Bryce, just touching on the secondary, again. I know they had a couple third-down conversions move the ball, but y'all really seemed to stiffen up in the red zone with that one exception. What do you feel like y'all you were doing well when they did kind of move the ball down there?
BRYCE ANDERSON: When they get into the red zone, it's just a whole different mindset, mentality. We're just not about to let them score. Getting in the red zone, we don't care how they got down there or what happened. We just know we got to get a stand and get a stop and get off the field or force three.
Q. Bryce, how big was this win for you guys after what you had gone through going into the bye with a couple losses? And you got Ole Miss coming up next week?
BRYCE ANDERSON: I feel like any SEC win is huge. You get a win at home, that's huge. Got a lot of momentum going into Ole Miss now. And now we have to play well on the road. We know we haven't played well on the road, eight consecutive losses on the road. We're just looking forward to changing it this week.
Q. Bryce, looked like you got a little more time at safety today with Josh [DeBerry] playing nickel. You feel comfortable back there taking that role on?
BRYCE ANDERSON: Oh, yeah, most definitely. Comfortable wherever I'm at on the field, the nickel, the free, the strong. Just basically being able to show my versatility. Show I can play middle field. Show I can play star, go blitz, and cover the receivers also. So I'm just liking how the coaches are using me right now.
Postgame Quotes: Edgerrin Cooper
Q. Would you be able to discuss y'all's pass rush today? There were three straight possessions where [Spencer] Rattler was called for intentional grounding. That was a pretty strong stretch. Can you discuss that whole thing there?
EDGERRIN COOPER: Going on three weeks, we have our list of objectives for the game. And one of our objectives was affect the QB. We take that very seriously and feel like we got that job done.
Q. Earlier this week, Coach [Fisher] said, you know, seeing your production lately, it's all been your eyes or just how you're seeing things and going on a beat quicker. What do you think was the breakthrough moment for you that you kind of had that happen?
EDGERRIN COOPER: Me just getting comfortable with the strategies of our game and the playbook. Right now, at a point, I feel like I'm able to relax and see everything. And just compete and do what I need to do. And that's really it.
Q. Another strong game today, but I saw just the other day that Pro Football Focus came out with you were the highest-graded linebacker in college football to this point in the season. What did it mean for you to see that recognition?
EDGERRIN COOPER: It means a lot. But with me, I never want to get satisfied. I want to find out what I can do better and separate myself more and more from the others.
Q. On the flip side of what Ainias [Smith] was saying, when you watch the offense, I mean, what do you see from Ainias and just what he's able to bring to that side of the ball?
EDGERRIN COOPER: One thing I can tell you, he wasn't lying about being by the defense when it's on the other side of the ball. He's the loudest one in the room, saying, Hey, let's step it up a notch. Let's step harder. Having a person like that on the team, I feel like everyone needs a guy like that. And we really respect him.
Q. When you can get in those situations of getting a sack and the key play on third down late in the first half and give your offense time to run the two-minute drill, what does that mean when you can accomplish that and give your offense a chance late like that?
EDGERRIN COOPER: As simple as doing our assignment. It feels good. We all want to make plays. We just know, If you just do your job, all plays will come to you. Just play hard, play relentless, give 100% effort and just do what we need to do.
Q. You say that you're always trying to strive to be better, but is there a moment where you go, I can't believe I just did that? Do you have those moments with your own play?
EDGERRIN COOPER: I mean, yeah, it happens. But I'm always looking for something. Got to be something I can fix or get better at. And just go from there.
Q. And last drive, you're able to get South Carolina a turnover inside the red zone. What kind of momentum does that do for a defense?
EDGERRIN COOPER: The energy, at that point, Coach (Jimbo Fisher) always said we need to have fun. So obviously, when things are going good, we're having fun out there. And I was just out there celebrating with my brothers, you know. It keeps the momentum on and goes to the offense. Everybody is happy. We just keep the energy going.
Q. Were you able to see Max Wright when he got his foot in the end zone?
EDGERRIN COOPER: Yeah.
Q. Did you think it was a touchdown?
EDGERRIN COOPER: Yeah, I thought it was a touchdown. It was kinda iffy, but when I saw -- I think they showed a little screen shot. And I was like, yeah, I think it was 100% touchdown.
Q. Edgerrin, can you talk about how big the win was from you guys having lost two in a row, going into the bye, having to deal with that? People, I'm sure, kinda doubting you maybe a little bit. And coming back and, you know, didn't play a perfect game, but you did play well enough to pick up a win, and you carry that into Ole Miss next week.
EDGERRIN COOPER: Yeah, obviously, it's a great thing to have a win. But I feel like we're nowhere to where we wanted to play at. We kind of let them get some yards gained coming back at halftime. We want to try to eliminate those mistakes and take it week by week. We just got to find the inches and just grind and figure it out. Trusting our coaches and figure out what we need to stop that.