South Carolina dominates on the ground to knock off top-10 Texas A&M in convincing fashion

For the second contest in a row, South Carolina football started hot. And for the second contest in a row, they came away with a win.

Coming off a bye week, the Gamecocks had two weeks to prepare for the Texas A&M Aggies to come into Columbia. The extra preparation paid off, with Shane Beamer earning his first ranked win since beating Clemson to finish the 2022 regular season, defeating Mike Elko and the Aggies 44-20. 

On the second play of the game, LaNorris Sellers evaded the defense and found Rocket Sanders for a 20-yard gain. Pounding the ground early, the Gamecocks compiled 55 yards rushing on their first drive. It culminated in a LaNorris Sellers 23-yard touchdown run to put South Carolina up 7-0. 

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The Aggies rolled the dice on their subsequent drive, going for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 34. It didn’t work out, as the Gamecocks stuffed Marcel Reed at the line. 

Starting with excellent field position, South Carolina needed just two plays to score. Rocket Sanders caught a 14-yard pass from LaNorris Sellers. Right after, Sellers found Joshua Simon on a ball launched into the left corner of the endzone. The Gamecocks had raced out to a 14-0 lead. 

The Aggies then picked up a couple first downs before deciding to attempt a field goal on the USC 34-yard line. Randy Bond nailed the 52-yarder to put Texas A&M on the board. 

After the two teams proceeded to trade punts, South Carolina appeared to convert on 3rd down in Aggies territory. However, Rocket Sanders coughed up the ball on a tackle attempt, and Texas A&M recovered. 

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Down 14-3, Texas A&M was forced into another long field goal attempt after an unforced error (fumble) by Marcel Reed. Bond again connected, this time from 55 yards out, to bring the game to one possession, 14-6.

Next Gamecocks drive, LaNorris Sellers lowered his shoulder on a third down rush, laying the boom on a defender. The extra effort gave South Carolina another three downs, which ultimately resulted in an Alex Herrera field goal attempt. The 25-yarder found the net for three points, bringing the margin to 17-6. 

However, the Aggies responded quickly, with a 56-yard touchdown scamper from Amari Daniels. The junior hushed the crowd after crossing the endzone. With the point after attempt, Texas A&M brought the margin to 17-13.

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Faced with a 4th-and-2 from the Aggies’ 40-yard line, the Gamecocks attempted to convert on their next drive. But a short pass to Mazeo Bennett Jr. couldn’t be completed, handing the ball back to Texas A&M. 

Taking advantage of the relatively good field position, the Aggies marched down the field. On the tenth play of the drive, Marcel Reed found Jabre Barber in the endzone for a two-yard touchdown pass. Texas A&M took the lead for the first time, 20-17. 

With just over a minute left in the half, the Gamecocks took the field. LaNorris Sellers took control of the offense, and, after a costly fumble was called back, got the Gamecocks to the Texas A&M 26-yard line. From there, Alex Herrera knocked in a 44-yard field goal to tie the game, 20-20. 

Kicking off to start the second half, South Carolina forced the Aggies to punt after six plays. From there, the run game took over for a drive. Sanders and Sellers both recorded 11-yard rushes. Then, Sanders took a run 52 yards to the house to break the tie. An Alex Herrera PAT made the score 27-20, Gamecocks. They would not trail the rest of the way. 

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On their own 31, the Aggies attempted to go for it on fourth down. They were again stuffed, leaving South Carolina with great field position. From there, the Gamecocks couldn’t move the ball effectively. However, Alex Herrera again stepped up with a long field goal, this time from 43 yards. South Carolina’s lead was now again two possessions, 30-20. 

Both teams punted their next trip on offense, and the game entered the fourth quarter with the same margin. Trailing 30-20, the Aggies had the ball on the USC 28-yard line. That’s when OD Fortune read Marcel Reed’s errant throw and picked it off. Though the senior defensive back seemingly ran it back for six, he was marked out at the USC 16. 

With the momentum squarely in hand, LaNorris Sellers found Joshua Simon for a 40-yard completion. While the Gamecocks crossed midfield, they couldn’t take advantage, being forced to punt. 

But the Gamecocks defense stepped up, sending the Aggies off the field in three plays. After Torricelli Simpkins left the game with an injury, Trovon Baugh entered the game. South Carolina couldn’t put up any points on their next drive, sending the Aggies offense back.

But the Gamecocks recorded two timely sacks, one by Dylan Stewart and the other by T.J. Sanders. This forced Texas A&M to punt on 4th-and-21. Getting the ball back, South Carolina wasted no time adding insurance. LaNorris Sellers got the ball to Joshua Simon, who did the rest, going 57 yards to the end zone. The margin at this point? 17 points, as South Carolina led 37-20.

It didn’t take long for the Gamecocks to get back on the board. Tonka Hemingway sacked Marcel Reed, who fumbled, and Kyle Kennard recovered. After a LaNorris Sellers rush, Rocket Sanders found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.

The rest was formalities, with Texas A&M running a few plays with no intent to risk any injury. The final score was 44-20, as South Carolina fans stormed the field in Columbia.

Next up

South Carolina will travel to a resurgent Vanderbilt next weekend. The game will kick off at 4:15 p.m. EST, and air on SEC Network. South Carolina has defeated Vanderbilt in their last 15 meetings between the two.  

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