It looked different in some regards, the same in others, but the result is still another loss.
South Carolina prevailed over Texas A&M in an ugly, mistake-riddled ballgame on Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, 17-9.
Early offensive inefficiency set the tone from the start.
Marco Jones highlighted South Carolina’s opening drive by bringing down LaNorris Sellers for a 16-yard sack and getting the Gamecock offense off the field.
A breakout 40-yard run from Rueben Owens II helped push the Aggies into South Carolina territory, but they sputtered from there. Mike Elko sent out the field goal unit on fourth down from the 30-yard line, but the Aggies opted for a fake. Olano kept it himself but came up short of the line to gain.
After another punt from the Gamecocks, Marcel Reed looked comfortable in his second opportunity. Chain-moving catches to Mario Craver and Isaiah Horton showed promise. The Aggies kept rolling downfield thanks to the emerging TK Norman. Stalling in plus territory, the Aggies elected to kick the field goal this time as Olano nailed a 40-yarder.
Sellers and Kendal Briles countered with tempo and explosive plays that caught A&M on its heels. No time was wasted on gains of 40, 16 and 11 that placed the Gamecocks on the 1-yard line. Mazeo Bennett Jr.’s touchdown catch completed the 75-yard march in less than three minutes.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
LaNorris Sellers accounted for 285 yards of total offense and both touchdowns vs. Texas A&M.
Reed evaded a rusher on third-and-long, finding Horton down the sideline for a gain of 20. However, A&M's offense failed to build on the connection, ending the possession with a Tyler White punt downed on South Carolina’s 1.
Neither the Gamecocks nor the Aggies found traction on the ensuing possessions. Misfortune quickly shifted from one sideline to the other on just two plays.
Bennett broke free for a 64-yard catch-and-run, putting South Carolina in scoring position. The next play, Bryce Perry-Wright brought down Sellers and forced a fumble that the Aggies recovered, but the turnover was overshadowed by a more concerning development for fans inside of Williams-Brice. Sellers injured his left lower leg on the play and headed to the locker room.
A&M drove right into South Carolina territory but stalled on that side of the field once again. Olano nailed a 46-yarder as the clock expired to end the half.
Just like he did to start the game, Owens ripped off a huge gain of 44 to open the second half. Reed followed it up with a strike to Horton on second and long, but A&M stumbled on third down, sending out Olano to make it a 9-6 ballgame.
Sellers gave it a go, but he clearly seemed bothered by that ankle as South Carolina’s offense couldn’t do much.
A&M kept moving the football and ran into the same problems when the pressure mounted. On first-and-goal, a drop from Horton was the beginning of an awful red-zone sequence. Back-to-back false start penalties followed, and Olano's 30-yard field goal attempt was his first miss of the season.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
Rueben Owens II ran for 137 of Texas A&M’s 206 rushing yards.
One-legged Sellers returned to run the offense, sitting in the pocket and delivering to his playmakers. After A&M left points on the field, South Carolina kicker Malik Orsan did the same, missing a 49-yard attempt.
The defensive slugfest continued in the fourth quarter as A&M’s offense got stuck in neutral. As for the Gamecocks, their offense found a pulse. Sellers still limped around, but a fourth-down conversion at midfield and a third-down penalty against the Aggies helped keep things moving. They took a one-point lead on an Orsan field goal.
The Aggies squandered a chance to build on their momentum, as drops from Horton brought the possession to a halt. South Carolina quickly handed possession back to A&M, and Horton appeared to fumble on the punt return but was ruled out of bounds with possession.
After the dramatic turn of events, the intensity heightened as the Aggies had the ball with two minutes to go. Norman couldn't come up with the catch on a pass that would have put A&M in field goal range. On the ensuing possession, Sellers played Superman on a 41-yard gain while visibly favoring one leg.
With three timeouts, down eight and 1:19 to go, A&M drove down and got within striking distance. A third-down conversion to Horton set up first-and-goal with nine seconds left. Both throws from Reed to end the game sailed long.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
Texas A&M’s offense has scored just two touchdowns away from Kyle Field this season.
RUMBLED: Rueben Owens II and the Aggie offensive line beat South Carolina along the line of scrimmage. The 19-carry, 137-yard day for the senior tailback was the best he has looked in well over a year. His ability to consistently find running lanes gave the Aggies another much-needed offensive dimension when the passing game was up and down.
STUMBLED: A&M’s inability to execute in plus territory was infuriating. Every time they reached South Carolina territory until the final drive, they lined up to kick a field goal (and faked it once). There were numerous drops, inexcusable penalties and missed opportunities, including an early fourth-down gamble that didn't go as planned.
This is also the second time this season the Aggies have faced a one-legged quarterback and let him beat them. On a bum ankle, Sellers delivered a Heroic, go-ahead touchdown drive for South Carolina. Of course, the Aggies found their way back into Gamecock territory on the final drive but came away empty-handed.
TURNING POINT: There appeared to be many turning points in this game, but this one truly went down to the final play.
UNSUNG HERO: Bryce Perry Wright’s sack of Sellers, which A&M recovered, created a major swing in the game. In a game where A&M needed its defense to create opportunities, the freshman defensive end provided one.
KEY STAT: Texas A&M’s offense put up 457 yards of total offense with no turnovers and did not score a touchdown.
Scoring Summary
Second quarter
A&M: 14:48 - David Olano 40-yard field goal. Drive: 15 plays, 69 yards. TOP 6:38. Texas A&M 3, South Carolina 0
SC: 11:54 - LaNorris Sellers 1-yard passing touchdown to Mazeo Bennett Jr. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards. TOP 2:54. South Carolina 7, Texas A&M 3
A&M: 0:00 - David Olano 46-yard field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards. TOP 5:23. South Carolina 7, Texas A&M 6
Third quarter
A&M: 13:14 - David Olano 44-yard field goal. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards. TOP 1:46. Texas A&M 9, South Carolina 7
Fourth quarter
SC: 8:14 - Malik Orsan 43-yard field goal. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards. TOP 5:19. South Carolina 10, Texas A&M 9
SC: 1:19 - LaNorris Sellers 41-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 1 play, 41 yards. TOP 0:08. South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 9
