Texas A&M did plenty of things that usually lead to a better afternoon. The Aggies ran for 206 yards, piled up 457 total yards, avoided turnovers, and still walked off with only nine points in a 17-9 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
That kind of box score usually points to a win. Instead, it pointed straight to another frustrating chapter for an offense that keeps finding new ways to waste chances. The loss dropped A&M to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the SEC.
Rueben Owens was the bright spot, and he didn’t waste time making his presence felt. He finished with 137 yards on 19 carries, including a 40-yard burst on the Aggies’ first offensive snap and a 44-yard run to start the second half. Those plays gave A&M the kind of explosive ground game that should have made life easier everywhere else.
It never really did.
The opening drive stalled out in odd fashion when A&M went for a fake field goal on 4th-and-7 from the South Carolina 30. David Olano ran for three yards, and the Aggies came away empty.
The idea of being aggressive isn’t the issue. The result was.
The third quarter brought the sequence that may have defined the game. A&M led 9-7 and had first-and-goal at the seven.
Then came an Isaiah Horton drop, back-to-back false starts, and suddenly the Aggies were facing 2nd-and-goal from the 17. After another incompletion and a short run, Olano came on and missed from 30 yards.
Fifteen plays, no points.
Olano did make his other three field goals, from 40, 46, and 44 yards. But the miss from 30 loomed large, especially in a game where every point mattered. It’s hard to pin this one on the kicker alone when he accounted for all nine points.
Marcel Reed finished 25-of-43 for 251 yards, but the passing game had too many rough edges to survive. Horton’s drops hurt.
Norman couldn’t hang on to a late third-down throw when A&M was trying to get into field-goal range. Reed also needed to be sharper, which has become a familiar refrain.
The defense gave the offense openings and then some. Bryce Perry-Wright’s stripsack wiped out a South Carolina scoring chance before halftime. A&M held the Gamecocks to seven points through three quarters, and South Carolina didn’t take the lead until a field goal with 8:14 left made it 10-9.
That should have been enough support for a team that was moving the ball well enough to win. It wasn’t.
LaNorris Sellers, playing through an ankle injury, made the biggest play of the night anyway. With 1:19 remaining, he kept the ball and raced 41 yards for the touchdown that put the game away. A&M had just turned it over on downs, and one snap later the deficit had gone from one point to eight.
The Aggies still had one last chance. They drove to the South Carolina 10 with nine seconds left and needed a touchdown plus a 2-point conversion to force a tie. Two incompletions ended it.
It was a fitting finish to a game where Texas A&M did a lot of the hard parts and almost none of the scoring.
In Other News...
Texas A&M's Thin Receiver Room Just Took Another Scare
Texas A&Ms receiving depth was already under pressure, and Mario Craver briefly added to the concern Saturday against South Carolina. The wideout left the game after appearing to injure his knee, then was able to return after the quarter break, a small but important relief for a position group that has been stretched thin.
The Aggies are already navigating absences from Terry Bussey and Ashton Bethel-Roman, which has pushed the next wave of receivers into bigger roles. TK Norman, Aaron Gregory and Jayden Warren are all expected to see more snaps, and every healthy body matters now as Texas A&M tries to keep its passing game functional through the injuries. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Season-Shaping Test It Can't Let Get Away
Texas A&M comes out of its bye week with plenty still hanging in the balance, heading to Columbia to face No. 21 South Carolina in a game that could shape the rest of its season. At 4-4, the Aggies are still looking to lock up bowl eligibility, and the timing of this trip makes it even more important. South Carolina, meanwhile, has won three straight and has quickly emerged as one of the SECs hottest teams, which gives this matchup a little more urgency than a typical November road test.
For A&M, the challenge is not just the opponent but the setting and the momentum the Gamecocks are carrying into the weekend. The preview around this game points to key players and a handful of factors that could swing things either way, which is exactly why the Aggies cannot afford to let this one slip. With bowl hopes still in play and the conference race tightening, this is the kind of game that can define how the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Just Put South Carolinas Season On Edge
LaNorris Sellers briefly sent a jolt through South Carolinas sideline in the second quarter against Texas A&M when he went down on a sack and headed to the medical tent. He did return for the third quarter, which at least gave the Gamecocks some immediate relief, but the scene still underscored how much their offense revolves around his ability to keep plays alive and push the ball downfield.
Shane Beamer said Sellers was getting an X-ray for an ankle injury, leaving the bigger picture murky as the game moved on. Before the injury, Sellers had already completed 10 of 15 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, a strong start that made his status even more important for South Carolina as it tried to keep pace. [Read more 🡒]