USC can’t escape: Gamecocks squander lead and momentum
One week after dramatic comeback, South Carolina had a discouraging letdown Saturday.
The Gamecocks were outgained 153-9 in the fourth quarter, outrushed 237-23 for the game and surrendered a 10-point lead in the final 12:27 in a 24-17 loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies improved to 4-0 all-time against South Carolina in front of 96,430 fans in Kyle Field.
“We have to get more (offensive) production, bottom line,” coach Will Muschamp said. “You can’t continue to think you are going to beat people scoring 17 points and 10 points. It’s hard to be perfect on defense, and that’s what we have to be right now.”
South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) went ahead 17-7 with 9:24 left in the third quarter when quarterback Jake Bentley found OrTre Smith for a 13-yard score. It was Smith’s third touchdown catch of the season. However, the offense floundered after that 80-yard drive, combining for minus-30 yards on its next four possessions, while the Aggies offense heated up behind senior running back Keith Ford, who scored two fourth quarter touchdowns.
Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0) finished with 396 yards and sacked Bentley seven times. The Aggies held the ball for 34:07.
“Defense got tired a little bit. They just made plays on the ground,” South Carolina cornerback Chris Lammons said. “Our goal is to hold them to 16, so I don’t want to put the blame on the offense.”
The Aggies got a 46-yard field goal from Daniel LaCamera with 59 seconds left in the third quarter to pull within one score, at 17-10, and then tied the game at 17-17 on a 7-yard scoring run by Ford with 12:27 left in the game.
South Carolina led 10-7 at halftime on the strength of a 45-yard pass from Bentley to Shi Smith with 12:45 left in the second quarter and a 29-yard field goal from Parker White with 9:12 left in the second quarter. The Gamecocks did not have a first down in the first quarter and fell behind 7-0 on a 1-yard Trayveon Williams touchdown run with 14:45 left in the second quarter.
THREE POINTS
Star of the game: Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond led all rushers with 95 yards on 16 carries and threw for 159 yards on 19-for-27 passing. “The quarterback’s legs certainly hurt us in the game,” Muschamp said.
Play of the game: With the Gamecocks trailing 7-0 and facing third-and-19, Bentley spun out of what appeared to be a sure sack and found Shi Smith between two defenders in the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown that tied the game. It was the second-longest scoring play from scrimmage of the season for South Carolina.
Stat of the game: South Carolina was 2-for-13 on third down. “We’ve had multiple issues (on third down),” Muschamp said. “We thought we had a good plan. We’ll go back and look at it again.” Meanwhile, Texas A&M converted 7 of 16 third down attempts. “The thing that killed us was third down,” Gamecocks linebacker Skai Moore said. “That’s something we have to get better at, making sure we get off the field on third downs.”
OBSERVATIONS
Running in place: The Gamecocks came into the game with the 12th-ranked running game in the SEC, and things only got worse Saturday. South Carolina finished with 23 rushing yards against a Texas A&M team that gave up an average of 114 yards on the ground in its first four games. When the Aggies figured out they had nothing to fear from the ground game, they upped the pressure on Bentley and ended up with seven sacks. “We couldn’t run the football in the first half and they noticed that, so of course they brought more pressure because they knew we were going to throw the football,” center Alan Knott said. “It’s just something we have to handle. We saw it. We knew what they were doing. It’s something we have to get done.” Ty’Son Williams got the start at running back and finished with 73 yards on 14 carries.
The Smith boys: The Gamecocks freshman wide receiver duo of OrTre Smith and Shi Smith continued to shine. OrTre Smith caught his third touchdown pass in as many weeks, while Shi Smith had a career-high three catches for 86 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 45-yard reception.
More red zone mistakes: South Carolina got 10 points total out of three trips into the red zone. They lost possession on one of those trips when Bentley fumbled at the Aggies 6-yard line late in the first half. The Gamecocks also missed another makeable field goal, this time 46 yards by Parker White, who is 2-for-6 on field goal attempts this season.
NEXT
Who: Arkansas at South Carolina
When: 4 p.m. Oct. 7
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.5 FM
USC | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | — | 17 |
Texas A&M | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | — | 24 |
Second Quarter
TXAM—Tr.Williams 1 run (LaCamera kick), 14:45
SC—S.Smith 45 pass from Bentley (P.White kick), 12:45
SC—FG P.White 29, 9:12
Third Quarter
SC—O.Smith 13 pass from Bentley (P.White kick), 9:24
TXAM—FG LaCamera 46, :59
Fourth Quarter
TXAM—Ford 7 run (LaCamera kick), 12:27
TXAM—Ford 17 run (LaCamera kick), 7:42
SC | TXAM | |
First downs | 14 | 20 |
Rushes-yards | 26-23 | 49-237 |
Passing | 256 | 159 |
Comp-Att-Int | 17-30-0 | 19-27-0 |
Return Yards | 75 | 9 |
Punts-Avg. | 7-44.42 | 8-35.12 |
Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 2-1 |
Penalties-Yards | 2-10 | 5-47 |
Time of Possession | 25:53 | 34:07 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: South Carolina, Ty.Williams 14-73, Turner 1-0, Dowdle 2-(minus 4), Bentley 9-(minus 46). Texas A&M, Mond 16-95, Ford 12-70, Tr.Williams 16-56, Bussey 3-12, Paul 1-6, (Team) 1-(minus 2).
PASSING: South Carolina, Bentley 17-30-0-256. Texas A&M, Mond 19-27-0-159.
RECEIVING: South Carolina, Hurst 6-76, Edwards 4-68, S.Smith 3-86, O.Smith 3-28, Ty.Williams 1-(minus 2). Texas A&M, Ratley 4-40, Kirk 4-13, Ausbon 3-43, Tr.Williams 3-22, Ford 2-10, Bussey 1-19, Buckley 1-11, Paul 1-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: South Carolina, P.White 46.
This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 11:14 PM with the headline "USC can’t escape: Gamecocks squander lead and momentum."