Thumbs up, thumbs down: South Carolina vs. Texas A&M
A look at what went right and wrong for South Carolina football in the loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.
Thumbs up
Joseph Charlton the runner
The Gamecocks punter should’ve had a kick blocked without question. A man came unblocked up the middle and was right there. But he dodged it, somehow, and went 10 yards to get a first down.
Bringing the pressure
South Carolina hit Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond. The Gamecocks hit him a lot and hit him hard. He was sacked twice in the first half and pressured numerous other times.
Shi’s bomb
The Gamecocks got a 41-yard completion to Shi Smith, the longest pass play since the opening play of the Tennessee game.
No give-up
Simply put, South Carolina was in a bad spot all day and didn’t really break until the early fourth quarter. The offense couldn’t do much, but the defense just came back again and again, facing 70 plays in the first 50 minutes.
Thumbs down
Explosives getting explosive
The Gamecocks were stout much of the game defensively. But the breakdowns tended to hit hard. USC allowed eight explosive plays in the first half alone, a killer in a low-scoring game.
Ground to nothing
Despite having its top back and all its linemen, USC couldn’t get going on the ground. Through three quarters USC had 32 yards on 12 carries.
Even more injuries
At the start of the game it was revealed that Bryan Edwards, South Carolina’s top remaining playmaker, would be out. It left USC without its top rusher or receiver, plus a slew of other pass catchers and No. 3 back Mon Denson. It’s little wonder the offense missed its first 10 third-down tries.
Targeted
The Gamecocks defense mostly held up despite missing TJ Brunson. That said, the leader of South Carolina defense left a thin back seven even thinner. He speared Texas A&M’s QB on the opening drive and was thrown out of the game.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 11:11 PM.
