COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Akeem Auguste has been on too many South Carolina teams who started out strong and finished with a thud. And after clinching a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game, the Gamecocks defensive back doesn't want any stumbles down the stretch of the team's most special season in years.

That starts Saturday against Troy (5-4), who plays No. 17 South Carolina on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Auguste knows the disappointment of watching successful seasons fall apart. The Gamecocks had won six games and were ranked each of the previous three seasons. But they went 3-7 the past three Novembers.

Much of that was wiped away by last week's 36-14 victory over Florida that wrapped up the SEC Eastern Division.

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