South Carolina didn’t get asked about much at SEC Media Days in Tampa without Texas A&M’s comeback lurking in the background.
The Gamecocks’ 30-3 halftime lead over the Aggies last season vanished in a 31-30 loss, and Tuesday brought that collapse right back into the conversation. For South Carolina coach Shane Beamer and quarterback LaNorris Sellers, the question came up again, though their responses landed in different places.
Beamer wasn’t interested in dwelling on it. Sellers, meanwhile, gave the kind of answer quarterbacks usually do when a painful loss gets dragged back into the light.
"I think we just kind of stalled," Sellers said. "I think we just need to keep attacking, more or less.
I won't say we took the foot off the gas, but we just need to finish in those situations. A lot of games last year that we didn't finish in the fourth quarter.
That was one of them. So we can pick that up for this year. ...
They stayed on us the whole game, just like every other defense we play. Super ferocious, physical, and communicated well.
So I think we just kind of stalled. I think we just need to keep attacking."
The reality was uglier than “stalled,” but Texas A&M also earned every bit of that comeback. Marcel Reed shook off a rough first half and finished 22 of 39 for a career-high 439 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. The Aggies leaned on the pass, and Reed kept firing instead of fading after the break.
That aggressive approach paid off in the moment, even if Reed’s season ended with more turbulence. In Texas A&M’s final two games, both losses to Texas and Miami, he threw four interceptions.
Now the matchup shifts to Columbia, where South Carolina will get another shot at the Aggies on Nov. 7.
In Other News...
Former A&M Defensive Architect Is Now Shaping Another SEC Program
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For Texas A&M, the connection adds a little extra edge to a matchup already circled on the calendar. Kentucky visits College Station on Sept. 19, giving the Aggies an early chance to see how one of their former defensive architects handles a new job in the same league, while A&M continues looking ahead to a 2026 season that will put its key voices back in the spotlight at SEC Media Days. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Elkos Terry Bussey Update Changes Everything For Texas A&Ms Offense
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One name now sitting at the center of that conversation is Terry Bussey, whose availability changes the outlook for an offense that needs playmakers to emerge quickly. Elkos group has spent the offseason piecing together options around the receiver group, and Busseys presence gives the Aggies a much-needed piece as they head into fall camp with more questions than answers about how the targets will be distributed. [Read more 🡒]
One Aggies Pass Rusher Is Suddenly Turning Heads This Offseason
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MPemba is now drawing attention for a different reason. He has shown notable strength during offseason training, and the buzz around his work has only added to the sense that his role could expand in a hurry behind Jones. Texas A&M has plenty of NFL-level talent on the roster already, but the development of players like MPemba often ends up shaping how much upside a defense really has once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]