South Carolina starting quarterback Brandon McIlwain completed just 34 yards against one of the most well-rounded teams in the country in No. 9 Texas A&M. Normally that would be a recipe for disaster, but South Carolina overcame limitations in their passing game in a respectable 24-13 loss to the Aggies.
Redshirt freshman running back A.J. Turner has developed a flair for the dramatic at Williams-Brice Stadium. After an 80-yard kickoff return to open up the ECU game, Turner found daylight in South Carolina's first play from scrimmage to score a 75-yard touchdown. To put that in perspective, in South Carolina's previous four games no running back had matched that total in an entire game.
Texas A&M responded with a seven-play, 75-yard blitz down the field culminating with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Trevor Knight.
Despite Turner's early jolt, the offense was relatively stagnant in the first half. Freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain netted just 34 passing yards in the half. McIlwain really struggled to establish a consistent passing game and was pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of senior Perry Orth.
Despite electing to pull McIlwain, Muschamp still has faith in his young quarterback, noting that, "Brandon did some good things in the game. There were things from the naked eye that people don't notice that he creates because of his legs in the run game."
South Carolina got a pregame gift when Texas A&M's defensive end Myles Garrett was ruled inactive due to an ankle injury. Garrett is regarded as one of the elite pass rushers in the country and is a front runner to be the top pick in next year's NFL draft, but even without the presence of Garrett, Texas A&M terrorized South Carolina's backfield, recording six tackles for a loss in the first half alone.
Despite South Carolina's inability to consistently find holes in Texas A&M's defense, they did take some gambles on trick plays, and their creativity paid off. Sophomore tight end Hayden Hurst completed a 9-yard pass to A.J. Turner. Later Sean Kelly would throw for a 36-yard completion to Hurst on a fake punt. Kelly and Hurst would finish with more passing yards than South Carolina's starting quarterback.
Wide receiver Josh Reynolds entered the game as a potential nightmare matchup for the Gamecocks, averaging over 20 yards per catch and possessing a significant height advantage on South Carolina's defensive backs, but excellent coverage by the Gamecocks secondary unit held him to just 29 yards.
In particular, South Carolina junior corner Chris Lammons provided excellent all around defense, mitigating the impact of Texas A&M's hyper-athletic receivers while also picking up a key interception to stop a potential Aggie's scoring drive late in the third quarter.
After 14 points were scored in the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of regulation, both offenses were then shut out until the third quarter. Texas A&M broke the drought with an electric 49-yard touchdown run by freshman Trayveon Williams in the third quarter. They would not relinquish that lead.
Orth's return to the quarterback position temporarily rejuvenated South Carolina's offense, putting South Carolina in position for two field goal attempts on his first two drives. He would finish 11-18 while compiling 138 yards.
Special teams blunders ultimately unraveled South Carolina's late momentum on offense. Senior kicker Elliott Fry made just two of his four field goal attempts.
The final blow for the Gamecocks came when junior cornerback Jamarcus King muffed a punt return that was recovered by the Aggies, effectively ending any opportunity for a South Carolina comeback.
The Gamecocks will look to snap their two-game skid when they host Georgia next Saturday at 7:30 p.m.