Jimbo Fisher says South Carolina will be 'extremely tough'

Jimbo Fisher isn’t overlooking South Carolina. Texas A&M is ready for a dog fight in Columbia this weekend as both teams are seemingly hitting their strides.

Fisher gave the Gamecocks credit for notching three consecutive wins, and with both teams refreshed after coming off their bye weeks, Fisher expects a tough matchup between his Aggies (3-3) and South Carolina (4-2).

“It’s going to be an extremely tough game,” Fisher said Monday. “All the games in this league, I don’t care who you play, everybody’s got players, and especially on the road and in the SEC. … Man, they’re tough. At home they’re tough. Just SEC games in general. This team’s playing very well. In the Kentucky game, they got turnover on the first play, they blocked a punt in that game and got points out of that, so they’re very opportunistic in what they’ve done and and how they play. They have a very good football team.”

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The Gamecocks dominated Kentucky for all 60 minutes of that game two weeks ago. The Wildcats offense was forced to get creative due to star quarterback Will Levis being sidelined with a foot injury, and South Carolina took full advantage.

For the Aggies, they’re coming off a heartbreaking 24-20 loss to Alabama that saw a buzzer-beating goal line stand by the Crimson Tide defense. Texas A&M has certainly came a long way from losing to Appalachian State at home during Week 2. Since that loss, they’re 2-1 and with the only loss coming down to the wire against a team many expect to make the College Football Playoff later this year.

Both teams sit in the middle of the pack in their respective divisions, but this still serves as a must-win for everyone involved. With three wins to its credit this season, Texas A&M still has No. 7 Ole Miss, Florida, Auburn and LSU on the docket over the next month or so. None of those games are a guaranteed victory, and in the worst case scenario would be scraping the bottom of bowl eligibility by the time the end of the regular season rolls around.

South Carolina isn’t necessarily as desperate, but with No. 3 Tennessee, No. 5 Clemson and a matchup at The Swamp vs. Florida, the Gamecocks’ road to the postseason isn’t the easiest, either.

Kickoff between the Gamecocks and Aggies is set for 7:30 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network. Texas A&M has opened as a four-point favorite over South Carolina on the road.