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In Week 10 of college football, the Texas A&M Aggies entered with all the momentum after a huge win over LSU the prior week. It seemed like Mike Elko, in his first year as head coach in College Station, was poised to make waves in the SEC with a team full of enough pieces to compete. Until the Aggies' upset loss to South Carolina, they appeared primed to appear in the conference title game.
Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) was the last undefeated team in conference play among the SEC contenders, with their only loss coming back in Week 1 to Notre Dame. The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3 SEC), however, weren’t willing to back down and finally managed to secure a win over a top-ranked team—something they had attempted and failed at multiple times this season.
The road to SEC Championship nor the College Football Playoff is no longer as certain for this year’s Aggies team, especially in a highly competitive SEC with several teams holding similar records. If anything, a 44-20 loss to South Carolina should serve as a wake-up call. But someone will have to shoulder the blame for such a defeat.
Mike Elko goes with Marcel Reed at QB, has two turnovers against South Carolina
Coach Mike Elko made the bold decision to go with redshirt freshman Marcel Reed at quarterback during the middle of the game against LSU in the Aggies’ previous matchup, benching Conner Weigman. The move paid dividends, as Reed revitalized the Aggies' offense and helped them secure a win over the Tigers. Elko decided to stick with Reed against South Carolina, hoping to maintain the momentum.
Reed still has some freshman kinks to work out and needs to continue developing as a passer. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was also limited to 46 rushing yards on 16 carries with no scores.
Playing in an environment like South Carolina for a night game in SEC competition was a bold choice for Elko. Aside from limited playing time against Florida and last year’s bowl game, this was Reed’s first significant road test. Despite this, he went from completing just two passes against LSU to posting his highest completion total of the season so far.
Many of Reed’s mistakes occurred early in the game. On Texas A&M’s first drive, looking to answer after South Carolina’s opening touchdown put them up 7-0, the Aggies failed on a fourth-and-1. Elko opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line, but Reed couldn’t gain the needed yardage, and the Gamecocks scored two plays later to extend their lead to 14-0.
Reed’s two turnovers came in the second half. Shortly after the start of the fourth quarter, inside South Carolina’s 30-yard line and down by 10, Reed was intercepted. That, combined with other offensive deficiencies—including Reed’s fumble with just over three minutes remaining—prevented Texas A&M from scoring at all in the second half.
Reed has to shoulder some blame for the turnovers, obviously. But in hindsight, Elko's decision to go with Reed as starter, plus going for it in their own territory in the first quarter that then resulted in a Gamecocks touchdown, all was questionable decisions from the Aggies head coach.
Texas A&M defense allows most rushing yards of the season against South Carolina
As strong as this Elko-led run defense has been for Texas A&M football this season, there is a glaring similarity in the Aggies' two losses. Against Notre Dame in Week 1, when they lost 23-13, the Irish ran for just under 200 yards (198). In Week 10 against South Carolina, the Aggies’ defense was gashed all night, allowing a season-high 286 rushing yards at 6.7 yards per carry, with 144 yards and two touchdowns from Rocket Sanders and another 106 yards and one touchdown from quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
This was the major difference in the game and ultimately sealed the Aggies' fate by the end. The two remaining SEC teams on Texas A&M's schedule are Auburn and Texas. The Tigers rank fourth in the conference in rushing, while the Longhorns are 13th.
