Complete Effort Spurs Aggies to 44-14 Win

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller combined for 256 rushing yards and two scores as the No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies dominated the South Carolina Gamecocks, 44-14, Saturday night inside a packed Kyle Field.

The Maroon & White defense was dominant, holding the SC offense to just 15 total yards through the third quarter. South Carolina finished with 185 yards of total offense, the lowest opponent yards for the Aggies since New Mexico.

After a quick, five-play Gamecock drive sputtered to open the game, Ainias Smith fielded a punt in Aggie territory and took it 95 yards to the house to jump A&M out to a 7-0 early lead. Following stalled drives by both teams, the Aggies went on to score touchdowns on their next three drives. The cavalcade of scores began with Zach Calzada connecting with Jalen Wydermyer on consecutive drives to extend the A&M lead to 21-0 with 10:36 left in the second quarter.

Just three plays into the next drive, a bad snap by the Gamecocks allowed Aaron Hansford to record the first fumble recovery of his career and set the Aggies up on the South Carolina 6-yard line. Three plays later, Spiller ran it into the end zone from 1-yard out to make it 28-0 A&M. The Aggies continued their scoring success on the ensuing drive as Seth Small made a 32-yard field goal to cap off the scoring for the half, 31-0 A&M.

To begin the second half, Calzada drove the Aggie offense down the field, hitting Spiller for 11 yards and then Jalen Preston for 15 & 33 before the drive stalled to allow a Small 28-yard boot. Four drives later, Achane single-handedly orchestrated a five-play, 74-yard drive, ending it with a 35-yard touchdown run to increase the Aggies’ lead to 41-0.

Small finished off the Maroon & White’s scoring with his third field goal of the night, from 31-yards out at the 14:54 mark of the fourth quarter. South Carolina tacked on two touchdowns to finalize the scoring at 44-14.

Team Notes

• Texas A&M saw two players rush for over 100 yards for the third time this season and second consecutive game as junior RB Isaiah Spiller (102) and sophomore RB Devon Achane (154) both eclipsed the century mark.
• The last time the Aggies had multiple 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games was November of the 1997 season. Dante Hall and Sirr Parker each passed the 100-yard mark on the ground against Oklahoma before Hall and D’Andre Hardeman did the same against Texas.
• It marked the third consecutive game that the trio of RB Devon Achane, WR Ainias Smith and RB Isaiah Spiller each recorded at least one TD.
• For the third straight game, the Aggies tallied at least 24 points in the first half (Alabama-24, Missouri-28) with 31 points through the first two quarters against the Gamecocks.
• A&M’s defense held South Carolina to 185 total yards for the game, including just 15 yards through the first three quarters. After three quarters of play, South Carolina was held to 15 total yards, including 30 passing yards and minus-15 rushing yards, and just two first downs.
• The Aggie defense recorded its second consecutive multi-INT game and its third of the season.
• A&M scored on all five trips to the red zone and have now scored on 16 of its last 17 trips to the red zone, dating back to the New Mexico game.
• The Aggies improved to 8-0 all-time against South Carolina – outscoring the Gamecocks 122-23 in the last three meetings.
• A&M’s defense held South Carolina to 0-for-10 on 3rd down conversions to start the game with the Gamecocks making their first conversion with 9:13 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• Today’s captains against South Carolina were WR Ainias Smith, RB Isaiah Spiller, DL DeMarvin Leal and OL Kenyon Green.

Individual Notes

• Junior RB Isaiah Spiller tallied 102 yards on the ground to notch the 15th 100-yard game of his career, which matches Cyrus Gray (2008-11) for the most by an Aggie since A&M’s move to the Big 12 in 1996. 
• Spiller ended the game with 2,743 career rushing yards moving past Courtney Lewis (2,711 – 2003-06) for 11th place on Texas A&M’s career rushing list. He needs 48 yards to crack the top 10.
• Sophomore RB Devon Achane racked up 154 rushing yards in the game to set a new career high, scoring a touchdown on a 35-yard run in the third quarter.
• Junior TE Jalen Wydermyer recorded the fifth multi-TD game of his career when he had a 25-yard grab in the end zone in the first quarter and added a 28-yard scoring play through the air in the second quarter to extend his school record among tight ends to 16 receiving TDs, good for eighth all-time among all players.
• Wydermyer also set A&M’s career record for receiving yards by a tight end, passing Martellus Bennett’s (2005-07) record of 1,246 with 75 yards in the game to put his career total at 1,306. He ranks 22nd all-time in receiving yards among all Aggies. He also extended his string of games with a reception to 31, dating back to his first game in Maroon & White.
• Graduate DL Micheal Clemons made it six straight games with at least 1.0 TFL as he finished the game with 1.0.
• After recording just 1.0 sack through A&M’s first five games of the season, senior DL Tyree Johnson has recorded 5.0 sacks over the last three games and boasts a career-best 6.0 sacks in 2021. He ended the game with 2.0 sacks and 2.0 TFL, both matching career bests.
• The Aggies recorded an interception in their third straight game when freshman DB Tyreek Chappell picked South Carolina off in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.
• Freshman DB Deuce Harmon added his first career interception in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
• Freshman DB Jardin Gilbert had a career-high five tackles to share the team high.
• Sophomore DL McKinnley Jackson registered his first sack of the season.
• Graduate LB Aaron Hansford recovered his first career fumble nearing the midway point of the second quarter.
• Sophomore DB Antonio Johnson matched a career high with 1.5 TFL.
• Junior Ainias Smith’s 95-yard punt return was the third longest punt return in program history and the longest in the FBS this season. The scoring run was also this first special teams touchdown of Smith’s career.
• Smith ended the game with 522 career punt return yards to move into 11th place on A&M’s career list.
• Senior PK Seth Small was 3-of-4 on field goals in the game with his final kick at the start of the fourth quarter giving him 63 for his career. The kick tied the A&M career record set by Randy Bullock (2008-11). He moved into 13th place on the SEC career list for made field goals.

COACH FISHER: All right. I'm very proud of our team.  I thought the key tonight was fast start. I thought both lines of scrimmage, we were able to play very physical on the offensive line and defensive lines and played very well in those regards and allowed or skill guys to really play. I think our defensive line was outstanding in the game.  I think we had 11 yards at halftime and maybe 20, 25 through the middle of the third quarter, end of the third quarter, something like that.

Thought we did a great job on the run, we fitted it. I thought we affected the quarterback, we pressured, we tackled well in space, kept leverage on the football. Created a turnover at the end there, but just did an outstanding job. And then the great special teams play by Ainias [Smith]. We got that back, we got block, we gave him space. Him and the chain, man, when you give those guys a chance in space and get those guys, they do a heck of a job and getting it started that way.

And then offense, we're very proud. We had the one turnover on third down. We ran the route, should have come back inside a little bit, and we got that tipped up. And then, offensively, we were very strong, executed, ate clock, controlled the ball, scored touchdowns on drives, two minutes before the half was really good. Come out the second half, scored the first drive, then got another touchdown. We went about five or six drives there right in a row. I believe we scored every time we had it.

I thought we played complementary football tonight. We were playing like that at defense, getting three-and-outs, getting us the ball back, kept the momentum. We could get back, keeping the groove on offense, not having long drives against the defense, not being able to get in the groove. And our defense was coming out ready to play every play. And I was very proud of it. Anything we had in special teams, we had a block kick snap just a hair high, but we didn't hit that -- Seth [Small] didn't hit that ball right, very rare. That was unfortunate in that situation, but very proud of the guys.

The other thing, though, I was a disappointed a little bit in my backups on offense and defense. We've got some really good players who have to go out and play and perform. And those guys are one or two plays away from having to play. They have to play better. We have to coach them better and we have to do a better job. And I know they don't get in the game much, but we got to do a better job. We've got to do a better job in both -- for a while there, we didn't get any first downs on offense and they just took a couple of drives right down the field and had some careless penalties.

So we'll get those young guys better and keep working and that's what next week will be about. We're going to need some of those guys down the four-game stretch right there at the end.

Q. What can you say about Jalen [Wydermyer] and what kind of a weapon he is for your team and what he's been able to do?

COACH FISHER: Who is that? Oh, Wydermyer? He's learned to be a complete player. And his big body can get vertical. He has athleticism, his hands, and be able to run after the catch. He's really getting and playing like he's capable of playing. He's a weapon.

Q. Ainias [Smith], he fielded that punt around the five-yard line. Do y'all just give him a green light to --

COACH FISHER: No. Well, punts are different now. The way these punters hit the high punts, you hit that punt and that ball, the way they deaden them now, like wedged, those Australian kicks, they'll deaden them things and they'll go at the 1. So if nobody is around you, we give him free light to catch it. And even if we fair-catch balls, the old rules, you never went inside the 10, because guys couldn't hit those Australian punts. Those balls deaden like a dadgum golf shot. And if you don't field some of those balls, even those guys around you, 6, 7, 8, 9-yard line, we'll fair-catch them so you don't end up at the 1-yard line. The game has changed in that regard because of how good the kickers and punters have become.

Q. You probably thought it was just a matter of time before Ainias [Smith] would break one too.

COACH FISHER: He's broke one, we just had a couple penalties, one or two. He had one called back and maybe -- was it our second one? -- it almost went. There was a couple we've had called back on penalties.

Q. And you feel good about the way Zach [Calzada] played, the progress he continues --

COACH FISHER: He did. A couple of plays now, I wish we could have cleaned up. We didn't help him a couple times on some routes, but he still made good decisions on third down, efficient. After we had -- that one drive, we had two holding calls. That was the other thing on offense. We had three holding calls on the night, which we can't have. And we overcome two and one. When you have a holding call, the odds of scoring -- when you have two, I wish I had put money on that line on Vegas and scoring a touchdown on a drive you have two holding calls on. That was unbelievable. That's the one we made on first and 20, though, him and [Jalen] Wydermyer made a great play and it was a big play in the game early.

Q. Overall, do you think that this was the best as far as overall play that your team has played this year?

COACH FISHER: I don't know if I'll say that, but I think it was one of the most efficient. And I think we're learning to become more efficient. I don't know to say it's the best, but it was one of our better ones.

Q. I know early in the season, y'all talked a lot about attention to details and practice heading into games. In a game where the defense probably knew that they were going to be able to have some success against this kind of offense, how impressed were you to that attention to detail from the defense?

COACH FISHER: I greatly appreciate it. That's what we should be doing all the time, and it's what we have to do. I think that's what we're starting to do on offense too, those young linemen are figuring it out too. But our defense was outstanding in that regard. They kept affecting the quarterback.

Q. And then the emergence of Tyree Johnson, how impressed have you been --

COACH FISHER: I mean, that's what I'm saying. I'm hoping he's all right. He got nicked up there, but I think he'll be okay. I mean, his ability to rush the passer, man, he can sink, run. Right now, he's been playing great football, great football.

Q. Your team defensively, you didn't allow a third-down conversion until the third quarter. What does that say about the defensive line?

COACH FISHER: Let me tell what it says, you win first and second. When you win first and second down, have those third and longs -- I think we had one third and short we stopped them on, but most of them were more than third and six or more. Our defensive line was outstanding in the game, sacking the quarterback, affecting the quarterback, and playing the run.

Q. Then going into the bye week, how do you keep this momentum up, especially in practice?

COACH FISHER: You go right back and practice the same way. We ain't going to change. We'll get Monday off; we'll practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday very hard and get back to fundamentals. They'll be physical, hard, tough practices. We've got to get better, get the young players better, and then we'll work on the game plan stuff for the last four teams.

Q. As you enter the bye week, do you like where your team is at?

COACH FISHER: I really do right now. I really do. I mean, I think we're starting to mold. Now, we'll find out. We've got a heck of a run. We've got Auburn, you have Ole Miss, you've got Prairie View, and then you've got LSU, two of those four on the road. You have a big stretch coming.

I like the development and our -- I say our buy-in, but our ability to go back and refocus and get back to those details and do a lot of those things. And those young guys are starting to understand the level of commitment it takes to do that. We're playing some of the young players. I like where we're at. Now we have to practice and get down that stretch.

Q. Coach, just in terms of Devon [Achane] and Isaiah [Spiller], what have they done to become this kind of two-headed monster in the backfield? 

COACH FISHER: Well, first of all, the guys in front of them are dadgum blocking, those tight ends and backs, but they're both very natural. They're both very selfless. They're both very patient and have good eyes. They understand their schemes. They're very smart players. They understand the blocking scheme, they understand when the fronts comes up, how that's going to be presented, where the issues are. And they're just natural running backs. They're very natural, man. that's a great one-two punch.

Q. As you went into the bye week, you mentioned earlier some of the backup getting reps that they hadn't gotten in game situations. How different are those game reps as opposed to what they're doing?

COACH FISHER: Oh, they're big time. The lights on the scoreboard are for real. I always say when you play in practice, that scoreboard don't ding when you mess up, good or bad. You know what I mean? And it matters. You've got to get out there in the lights, you got to get in the game, you got to get through the nerves and all that. But, hopefully, we get through that a little better.

Q. I know you touched on it a bit already, but how did you feel about Jalen [Wydermyer] becoming A&M's all-time tight end leader in receiving yards, especially only as a junior?

COACH FISHER: I had no idea. I just know he's playing well and he's doing what we ask him to do, and that's what I'm worried about. I'm happy for him. He's very well deserving in what he's doing. He's got to finish out this year, that's for sure, and play well.

Q. Can you talk about the stretch that you just went through and coming to the bye week, just how tough that grind was and how you want them to finish up?

COACH FISHER: Well, eight weeks, I'm telling you, eight weeks is tough. I've always been an advocate. I think in these 12-week seasons, I think college football needs two off weeks, if you really want to take the kids into consideration. I really do. I believe you do need that.

But it's tough. You're physical. It's pounding. And especially where we were.  I mean, to lose two games like that, be 3-0, then lose two games, and come back against the stretch we had. I'm very proud of them. I'm happy for them. Now, we have to maintain and remember why we've had success and continue it. We've got a heck of a grind left, but there's a lot of football left to be played.

Q. Jalen, what did you see on the coverage from both of your touchdowns?

JALEN WYDERMYER: I would say I saw a cover -- one of my first touchdowns, and the safety was biting hard on the corner route, so I faked the corner route and turned it into a post. And that was a dot by Zach Calzada. So that's what I saw on the first one.

The second one was just a screen, cover one screen again. And a well-run screen, and I got out and just made plays with my feet.

Q. Kind of feels like this is a new team after going on a two-game losing streak. How do you keep this momentum going into a bye week, especially in practice?

JALEN WYDERMYER: You said it yourself, just practice. The little things we've gotten better at weekly in practice and making our right reads and finishing blocks, stuff like that. So the little things is what really got us through these weeks.

Q. Hi, Jalen. How do you feel about now being A&M's all-time tight end leader in receiving yards, especially only as a junior?

JALEN WYDERMYER: It's a blessing, for one, to be -- I didn't even know that. But it's a blessing being on that list, especially looking up to Jace [Sternberger] when I went here. I never thought I would be in this position, but I'm blessed to be here.

Q. How do you feel about where the team is at as you guys enter the bye week?

JALEN WYDERMYER: I feel like we're in a really good position. I feel our momentum we have, we can keep going as long as we just keep doing what we're doing and keep performing at the level we're performing. Like I said, I would like to see us put up more points, and I feel like we did a really good job of doing that this game.

Q. Jalen, you guys put up 44 today, but you had a couple of opportunities in the red zone where you settled for field goals. How do you capitalize and turn those opportunities into touchdowns instead of having settle for three?

JALEN WYDERMYER: In the red zone, you can't have any penalties. If I'm not mistaken, we had a penalty in the red zone. Which is not good in the back, south of the red zone. So you need to minimize penalties, especially in the red zone because that's where we make our money at. We settle for field goals, but we want to make touchdowns ultimately every time we're on the field. So when it's not, I love to see Seth [Small] kick the ball, but we need touchdowns.

Q. Hey, Jalen, I got a couple for you. First, on that second touchdown, what was it like running behind Bryce, lead blocker out there? I mean, he was getting after it.

JALEN WYDERMYER: So he told me -- I did not know he was that fast, first of all. I just followed him. Yeah, he amazed me how fast he was running. It made me feel slow.

Q. And second one, I noticed you were probably the last guy off the field, talking to it looked like some family or friends. Was there anyone in particular there? It looked like there was guy maybe in a military uniform?

JALEN WYDERMYER: Yes, my brother. My brother is stationed in the Navy and came down and surprised me for the game. My parents made sure not to tell me. I hate that. He surprised me during the spirit walk. It was so great to see him. That was the happiest I've ever been in a while. I'm glad that he got to see a game and got to see this one for sure. 

Q. Where was he stationed? How long has it been since you've seen him?

JALEN WYDERMYER: He's stationed in Illinois, and it's been around seven to eight months. Yeah, it's been a while. I grew up next to him my whole life. We haven't gone a stretch without seeing each other like that. I was so happy to see him.

Q. On another note, how can you describe how hard Zach Calzada throws? Everyone talks about his cannon arm and everything like that. But to actually be on the other end of that, what is that like?

JALEN WYDERMYER: Well, he has a great arm. He throws a rocket ball. Y'all could see it from the sideline. He throws a rocket. With him, I have to really look the ball in stuff like that because he throws it so hard. But most of the time, it's always on the money. It's on the dot. So every ball is catchable.

Q. I had a couple more questions about your brother. His name and age?

JALEN WYDERMYER: Tyrese Wydermyer. He's 21.

Q. Jalen, for y'all to go on an eight-drive streak where you score eight possessions in a row, what was the game plan and the offensive mindset there? And did that change as at all when Blake [Bost] came in for Zach [Calzada]?

JALEN WYDERMYER: It didn't change at all. That momentum we had, it just kept us going, kept our confidence up. We really saw, like, especially this game in the rushing that we can dominate people. And if I wasn't mistaken, we beat South Carolina the same way last year. We thought that we were losing so much. Now they see like, hey, we can do it as well. And now it's just going to help them later in the season.

Q. Jalen, I know that the way the season started for you was not ideal, but can you talk about maybe what's happened over the last couple of weeks that's helped you kind of find your game and get back to where you were as dominating as you were last season?

JALEN WYDERMYER: Well, I really have to take a step back and look at myself and say, why am I not producing as much as I thought I would? Well, new team, new quarterback, new O-line, new everything. I have to step up and be a better leader and stuff. My blocking has to improve. So I really tried to improve my blocking and just like [Coach] Jimbo [Fisher] says, the better my blocking is, the more the safeties step up, the linebackers step up, the more balls I catch. I just have to fix my little things in my game, and it worked out for me so far.

Q. Ainias, can you tell us about the punt return? I'm sure there are those in the stadium that were thinking, you know, don't field it. And did you think that it was just a matter of time before you were finally going to break one?

AINIAS SMITH: Yeah. So definitely going in to the game, you know, basically, my whole message to the team was, you know, let's go ahead and start fast. Let's start fast, let's start strong and go ahead and get an edge on them real quick. And it just so happened that my opportunity came. And I was, like, shoot, I'm going to be that guy.

So when I saw the ball in the air, I looked down for a second, and I was like, yeah, I might get a return right here. And then, shoot, I caught it and I had a little bit of room; so I just took off.

Q. Ainias, y'all scored on eight straight possessions. Can you talk a little bit about how the offense has started to click the last three weeks, after the rough couple of games there with Arkansas and Mississippi State?

AINIAS SMITH: Yeah, no, definitely. We've come together pretty tight throughout these past few weeks just because, like you said, those last two losses that we had kind of affected us in a way to where it actually motivated us because, if you looked at the film or whatnot, once we got to looking at the film, there was a lot of opportunities that we were leaving out there on the field.

So we just came together as a team, and we was, like, man, we've just got to capitalize. we have to execute. We're not able to leave those plays out there on the field. And then us as leaders, we took the initiative to demand that out of our teammates throughout practice. So we're playing together pretty well.

Q. Ainias, how do you feel like you've gotten better as a pass catcher? I mean, just your ability and your technique to haul passes in, it seems like it's really gotten a lot better as the season has gone along.

AINIAS SMITH: Definitely, I feel like I can agree with you on that. I feel like catching jugs every day has definitely helped. I get at least 100 a day, just make sure I look the ball in.  That's basically it. And really just running out of my breaks. Getting with Zach [Calzada] after practice, before practice, whatever it is. We're just throwing the ball and catching it. So now it's like second nature.

Q. To go back to how you started the press conference, saying that you were telling the guys "We have to start fast," I wondered, after you were able to make sure they started fast, what were the guys saying to you?

AINIAS SMITH: Oh, man, they was really excited for me. Most of the time -- I mean, most of the guys, they were just saying how, you know, I finally was able to break one. And that's basically what we needed to go ahead and get that head start or whatnot. And a few of the guys, they were thanking me on offense because they didn't have to go out there and whatnot. No, it was pretty cool.

Q. Ainias, I think most people understand how special of a player Jalen Wydermyer can be, but for him to be able to have kind of back-to-back games at home, really big performances, what does that say about him?

AINIAS SMITH: You know, he's a heck of a guy. He's a heck of a player also. You know what I'm saying? He's definitely willing to go the extra inch and find that extra crumb to do whatever is necessary to go ahead and help our team be successful.

Q. Now you guys are on a three-game winning streak. How do you feel about the team going into the bye week and, more importantly, how do you feel about this offense finding its rhythm and consistency?

AINIAS SMITH: This upcoming week, throughout the bye week, we're not going to be able to let off the gas. You know what I'm saying? Throughout practice, This is not an off-week. And I'm not taking it as an off-week. I'm making sure that all the guys know that we have to come out and we have to get better this week. There's no going back to what we used to be like. We can only go up, and that's the only way.

Q. Did the offensive game plan change at all when y'all made the switch from [Zach] Calzada to [Blake] Bost?

AINIAS SMITH: No, not really. I wouldn't say it changed. We go in each week and they're both taking reps. So the game plan didn't change, no.

Q. I know at times you're not watching, you're doing stuff on the sidelines, but how impressive was the defense's performance tonight? Do you think it was one of best of the season or the best that you've seen?

AINIAS SMITH: Man, it was definitely one of the best I've ever seen. Going into halftime, they only had, like, 11 total yards. And then coming out towards the end of the game, they had, like, negative 15 rushing yards. I'm like this is crazy. This is the craziest performance I've seen in a long, long time. So our defense definitely stepped up.

Now, one thing that I will say is, yeah, we started pretty fast and pretty strong going out, but both sides of the ball, offense and defense, we need to do better on finishing the game and finishing stronger. We're not able to allow two scores. We didn't get a first down throughout the fourth quarter like -- well, starting first downs. You know what I'm saying? We've just got to get better. There's still room for improvement. And we're just going to take this game and learn from it.

Q. Ainias, I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. First, can you talk about the complementary football that you guys did play tonight. You scored, defense gets a stop, offense scores, that kind of way, just how you guys were able to play off each other?

AINIAS SMITH: Yeah. That's definitely something we like to work on through our practice. There's a lot of times where the offense is doing pretty well and the defense is doing pretty well, and we go at it all the time. You know what I'm saying? We're always talking trash to each other. So I feel like all of that momentum that we have from practice just carried over into the game.

Q. And then is there part of you, with the way you guys are playing right now -- I mean, I know you've played eight in a row and it's got to be tough on you, but is there part of you that wished that you didn't have a bye week because you guys are clicking the way you are?

AINIAS SMITH: I wouldn't necessarily say that I wish that we didn't have a bye week because of how well we're playing, but the bye week is definitely going to be necessary. Eight straight weeks into a season like this is definitely not easy, especially with a lot of young guys.

But, again, we're just going to have to take advantage of this bye week. We're not going to be able to slow down. So I'm personally going to make sure that we can only go up through our practice this week. So definitely going to take advantage of this week.

Q. Ainias, for the guys who got in late in the fourth quarter, those may have been their first game reps, how valuable are those game reps as opposed to just practice reps?

AINIAS SMITH: It's definitely big time, you know, especially for all those guys that got in, just being able to get that playing time, that experience, that feeling of being out there, especially in that stadium. You know, the 12th man is always going to be rocking with us. And just to have their support while they're out there on the field, I know that gave them a little bit of boost and a little bit of juice. But then also you have to look at the fact of this is their first time being out there. So they were probably a little tired. So definitely going to be something that is good for them to be able to look back at and learn from and basically get better.

Q. You didn't allow South Carolina to get a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter what does that say about our defensive line and the coverage in the back end?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: Our defensive line was doing great the whole game. As y'all saw, both got action me and Leon [O'Neal].  We both got action. So D-line, the backers really did their job. And it really paid off with practice and just everything really paid off.

Q. And then Tyreek [Chappell] is kind of getting picked on a little bit by other teams just because he is that younger corner. What did it mean for him to get the interception? And then same for Deuce [Harmon] to get one very late in the fourth quarter?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: I told Reek [Tyreek Chappell], one's coming soon. They're going to try to test you, and you're gonna pick it off. So I knew Reek [Tyreek Chappell]is a really good corner. He's young, but he's going to be a really good corner for us. For Deuce [Harmon], I didn't really see it coming. But I'm glad he got one in, and he's going to play a big role in the season for us, too.

Q. Demani, you guys have now won three games in a row now entering the bye week. How do you keep momentum up, even though you're not playing a game next week? And hopefully continue that once you guys get back on the field?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: The way we keep momentum is just by practicing hard and not just looking past the wins. Just keep getting better each and every day, and just going about our business every single day.

Q. Demani, I've got a couple of questions for you. First, how tough has the stretch been? Eight in a row before you get to the bye.

DEMANI RICHARDSON: It's been tough a little bit to be honest. I thought we had a bye game after Bama to be honest. And I was like dang, we got two more games? But it's been tough. I love the fight our team has. We fought until the bye week, and we ran into the bye week, just like [Coach ] Jimbo [Fisher] said. And we've got to keep getting get better from here on out.

Q. And can you talk about how you guys have been able to kind of flip the switch after the two-game losing streak and begin dominating on defense? I mean, was the way that you got beat against Arkansas, Mississippi state, that just kind of make you mad?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: Yes, to be honest. We didn't envision like losing to any of those teams. We knew our potential, but we had to look at ourself in the mirror and find who we really were. And we had to fight through adversity. And we did that. So we've got to keep getting better each and every day like I said and hopefully keep up the good work.

Q. Hi, Demani.  Especially with you guys holding South Carolina to a mere four yards in the third quarter, do you feel the defense dominated tonight?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: Yes, for sure. We let up a little bit in the fourth quarter. I was mad they scored twice, but I felt like we dominated through three quarters. We just got to fix the little mistakes we did in the fourth quarter and just make sure we finish every game like one through four quarters.

Q. With what you saw on film and the stats they put up coming into the game, did y'all feel like this was a game that the defense -- I mean, y'all could really go to town?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: It was hard to tell. They had really good backs. They had speed on outside. They had really good players. If we play our game and execute and play fast and physical, we can hold up and play well against anybody.

Q. Well, then, when you get one of those series where it's tackle for loss after tackle for loss, then a sack, and everything is clicking like that, how good does that feel? And how much do you feel like -- does that kind of surprise you when things just kind of get so easy for stretches?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: It's not very surprising. It's like I just, like, very exciting for things to happen. And we just -- I guess we're just worrying about playing the next play, make sure we execute every play and not just worrying about the last play that happened.

Q. Demani, we saw a lot of guys get in the fourth quarter who haven't played yet. So how valuable are those reps for those guys in the game situations? I know you played as a true freshman.  So compared to practice, how valuable are those reps in an actual game situation for their development?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: The reps are really important. Like Coach [Jimbo Fisher] says, they're one step away from playing. One of the guys went down, one of the guys playing out there, they're next up. So they're very important. They just have to lock in and just focus more so they can be ready when the time comes.

Q. Demani, this is your third time playing South Carolina now that you're an upper classman. Do you still find yourself learning new things about yourself or the team as you play the same opponents year in/year out?

DEMANI RICHARDSON: Yes, sir. Kind of. It's actually my second time. Last year around, I had COVID. But yeah, I just try to fix my game each and every game and every way each year.  So yeah, I do.

Q. Tyree, first off how you feeling?  What was kind of the injury and what happened there?

TYREE JOHNSON: Nothing too much.  Just football plays. Just get back to see the trainers and still just rehab on my body. That's all we can do right now.

Q. In a game where they came with some not so great offensive numbers, how satisfying is it that not only were y'all able to be successful, but to put up almost historic numbers?

TYREE JOHNSON: That's not something we'll take a look at at all.  We just try to focus within ourselves. Our opponents be faceless. So we just try to focus on getting better each and every day and attack our goals that we have for the week and what we want to do.  We got stuff we want to cover, like I said before, and we're really working at it.

Q. And you personally, what has been able to help you be so successful in getting pressure on the quarterback?

TYREE JOHNSON: I just really just stay focused and trying to be more motivated than I ever been. I know what I'm capable of, and I'm just trying to show what they are.

Q. Tyree, when you look at the defensive line as a whole, you didn't allow a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter. What does that say just not about their starters but also the depth behind you guys?

TYREE JOHNSON: Oh, yeah. We got a lot of talent on this defense, a lot of talent on the team in general.  And our guys, our defense as a whole, we try go out and practice and attack practice like that each day.  And we just try to translate that to the game as well. We don't want no slacking off with depth behind us.  We expect the same productivity with every guy coming in. So we just try to stay with our foot on the pedal and keep going.

Q. I know you're on a three-game winning streak going into the bye week. How do you feel about this team?  And where do you try to keep this momentum going into the practice next week?

TYREE JOHNSON: Nothing changes. We still go into next week like we've got another game coming up. We've just got to keep practicing hard and keep going.

Q. Tyree, you guys have really picked up the pass rush the last few weeks. You especially.  I think four sacks in two weeks. What has changed the last month or so?

TYREE JOHNSON: Honestly, I did get a little madder. I got mad within myself. Like I say, I knew what I was capable of, and I just really, really, really wanted to put it on display. And I just did whatever I could to focus even more and got to keep focusing and keep going. Like keep working at it. Don't stop. It don't mean nothing.

Q. Hey, Tyree, you guys, the starters didn't give up a touchdown. You guys came out.  The backups allowed two. What do you tell the young guys who got in late about trying to keep their head up after not the greatest performance in the fourth?

TYREE JOHNSON: They're young guys. They got to keep going, keep learning. That's all they can do. They've just got to learn from the guys that's ahead of them, that's in front of them, and take notes from them. Yeah, keep working at it.

Q. Tyree, it seemed like at the beginning of the season, you guys were kind of reacting to offenses in how you were playing. Now it seems like you guys are dictating to offenses, hey, here's what we got. See if you can break us.

TYREE JOHNSON: Well, see, as a player, I don't really know too much about that. As a player, I just focus on trying to do my job each and every single day, trying to make the coaches look good. I never think the coach is in the wrong. I never think the coach can come up with a bad game plan. It's all on the players.

The players got to go out there and do their job and do it right, hard, and to the best of their ability. And if we don't do that, then we're going to make the coach look like he didn't come up with a good game plan.

Q. Maybe I didn't ask the question correctly. It seems like you guys are playing more aggressively now and that offenses are having a real difficult time moving the football against you. Can you just talk about that part of it?

TYREE JOHNSON: That's what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say as players, as our defense, as players, we don't focus on if they attack. We try to go out every single week and not let that happen. Every single week we're not letting that happen. Every single week, we want to stop them from not getting first down.  Every week we don't want them to score. So that's what happened today. We just wanted to go out there and put out maximum effort, and we did not want to let them score.