USC vs. No. 3 Texas A&M recap: Gamecocks suffer late-game collapse in 31-30 loss
South Carolina football (3-7, 1-7 SEC) fell to No. 3 Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC) 31-30 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, in USC’s first game under new play caller Mike Furrey. The Gamecocks suffered a late-game collapse and are now ineligible for a bowl game.
Here’s how it happened live:
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M score updates
First quarter
South Carolina 3, Texas A&M 0: The Gamecocks started Saturday’s game with the ball and scored on their opening drive. Mike Furrey’s first drive as USC’s offensive coordinator had some wrinkles, including a 21-yard pass from Brian Rowe Jr. to LaNorris Sellers, but ultimately ended in a 36-yard field goal.
South Carolina 3, Texas A&M 3: Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed led a seven-play, 52-yard drive that ended in a 40-yard field goal. Reed completed a 43-yard pass to KC Concepcion early in the drive, but he was sacked on third down in the red zone to prompt the field goal.
South Carolina 10, Texas A&M 3: LaNorris Sellers threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Vandrevius Jacobs to cap off a six-play, 75-yard drive and take the lead. It’s Sellers’ eighth passing touchdown and Jacobs’ second receiving touchdown of the season.
South Carolina 10, Texas A&M 3: The Aggies had a short-yardage situation on fourth down at the USC 27-yard line but chose to go for a field goal from 45 yards out. It went wide left, and the Gamecocks’ 10-3 lead remained.
South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 3: The Gamecocks finished the first quarter with all the momentum. Marcel Reed was sacked by Dylan Stewart and fumbled, which led to a Nick Barrett scoop-and-score.
Second quarter
South Carolina 20, Texas A&M 3: The Gamecocks had a third-and-long from the Aggies’ 26-yard line, but ran Matthew Fuller for a short gain and set up the field goal. USC now leads Texas A&M by three scores.
South Carolina 20, Texas A&M 3: Aggie defensive back Dalton Brooks picked off Sellers on a deep pass and returned it 36 yards to inside the USC 10-yard line. Texas A&M couldn’t find the end zone and settled for a field goal. Aggie kicker Randy Bond missed his second field goal of the day and USC maintained a 20-3 lead.
South Carolina 27, Texas A&M 3: USC went three-and-out, setting up Texas A&M in the red zone with 1:06 left in the half. Reed gave up his second interception of the season to Vicari Swain. The very next play, Sellers found Nyck Harbor for an 80-yard touchdown.
South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 3: Reed finished off a disastrous first half by throwing his second interception of the game to Swain. It set up the Gamecocks for a 35-yard field goal and a 30-3 lead into halftime.
Third quarter
South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 10: The Aggies came out swinging on the opening drive of the second half. Reed made his best completion of the day, a 27-yard touchdown to Izaiah Williams.
South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 17: Reed continued to pick up momentum for the Aggies to start the second half. He threw a 39-yard touchdown to cap off a seven-play, 70-yard drive for Texas A&M, its second-straight drive with a touchdown.
South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 24: Suddenly, the Aggies’ first-half collapse was a thing of the past. Reed threw his third touchdown pass in as many drives to bring Texas A&M within one score.
Fourth quarter
Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30: The Aggies nearly had a touchdown run from Reed, but it was nullified by a holding penalty. Texas A&M didn’t waiver, continuing the drive down to the 4-yard line and punching it in with running back EJ Smith.
Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30: The Aggies were on the USC 1-yard line and ready to score when a failed trick play led to a fumble. Fred Johnson recovered the fumble and gave possession back to the Gamecocks. Despite the big momentum shift, Sellers was sacked twice the following drive and USC turned over the ball on downs to end the game.
Nyck Harbor injury
South Carolina receiver Nyck Harbor scored an 80-yard touchdown late in the first half, but was grabbing at his hamstring as he finished the sprint to the end zone. Harbor returned to the game in the second half.
Harbor was late to get up after a hit on the sideline in the third quarter but stayed in the game. He went down again in the fourth quarter for an extended period but walked off the field under his own power. There isn’t an update on his status yet.
Final injury report
Offensive linemen Cason Henry, Jatavius Shivers and defensive back Jalewis Solomon were ruled out for Saturday’s game. Offensive lineman Josiah Thompson was listed as questionable earlier in the week but wasn’t on the pregame report, meaning he’s available to play.
Uniform combo
South Carolina is wearing garnet helmets, white jerseys and white pants against the Aggies. Under Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are 3-2 in this combo and last wore it for a 31-6 win against Kentucky in 2024.
Gamecock captains
USC’s captains for Saturday’s matchup are defensive lineman Bryan Thomas Jr., linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, offensive lineman Trovon Baugh and tight end Brady Hunt.
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M betting odds
The Gamecocks opened as 18.5-point underdogs against Texas A&M, according to the VegasInsider consensus line. The line moved to -17.5 in favor of the Aggies by Saturday morning. ESPN’s Analytics’ matchup predictor gave USC a 14.8% chance to win.
Watch the Gamecocks play today
Who: South Carolina (3-6, 1-6 SEC) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC)
When: Noon ET Saturday
Where: Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN.com or the ESPN app
Broadcast crew: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor
Local radio: 107.5 FM in the Columbia area (Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Chet Tucker)
Satellite radio: SiriusXM Channel 380
Series history: Texas A&M leads all-time series 9-2 (USC won last matchup in 2024)
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 10:32 AM.
