The Texas A&M Aggies fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night 24-30. The Aggies are now 3-4, and a bowl appearance is definitely in question at this point. Jimbo Fisher and his staff will have to do a tremendous job of maintaining ground in recruiting and using the transfer portal. Moreover, there’s a chance that Texas A&M could lose some of those young, talented freshmen to the portal after this year. There are still five games left for this season, however, and the Aggies will need to figure out a way to finish above .500 to regain confidence. Here’s a quick recap of Texas A&M’s disappointing loss to South Carolina.
The Offense is Horrid Regardless of Replacements
Obviously, Texas A&M’s roster is far more talented than South Carolina, but it’s tough to play in Williams-Brice Stadium. The crowd noise was definitely an effect, but there’s no excuse for eight false start penalties. The offensive line could not hold its ground on Saturday night, and the unit looked worse without center Bryce Foster.
Haynes King looked the same as every other game this season. He had less than 200 passing yards with a touchdown and interception, and the Aggies couldn’t really move the ball down the field when backed up near their endzone. Connor Weigman came in during the fourth quarter. Although, he made some good throws it was still, not enough to guide A&M to victory.
The SEC Network commentators for this matchup, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic, made it pretty clear that the Aggies’ offense was beyond sub-par. They pointed the finger right at Fisher, who continues to self-delegate offensive duties. Both Rodgers and Cubelic, like fans, feel that it’s necessary for Fisher to bring a young mind into the offense, so Fisher can play the CEO role of a head coach much like Nick Saban. Nonetheless, it’s tough to make that change seven games into the season.
Defense the Reason for Close Games
Texas A&M has not put up more than 31 points this season. That goes to show how much this team is reliant on the defense. For whatever people say about DJ Durkin, he and his players have done an impeccable job of keeping the Aggies in these close games. Honestly, A&M competes with the best team in the country and is in a close battle with the worst team in the country depending on the week.
The Aggies fell to a 17-0 lead due to a kickoff return for a touchdown and mental errors on offense in the first quarter. Fadil Diggs made an impact on this game much as he did against Alabama, finishing with a forced fumble and a sack.
Texas A&M’s secondary played well, but the front seven had a tough time keeping running back MarShawn Lloyd in check. Near the end of the game, it became painfully obvious that the Gamecocks were going to run the ball. The Aggies’ defense still had no answer, and it was a similar story against Jahmyr Gibbs two weeks ago. Overall, that’s the only real knock on Durkin’s defense.
Concluding Thoughts
Texas A&M will have to regroup quickly after this loss to South Carolina as Ole Miss comes to Kyle Field next Saturday. The Rebels lost in a blowout to LSU, which goes to show the depth and strength of the SEC West this season. The Aggies could very well be at the bottom of the SEC West with a loss next week.
At this point, there’s no mistake in starting Weigman the rest of the way. Fisher and Darrell Dickey already know what to expect from Max Johnson and King, so it’s important to develop Weigman and trust these young receivers to step up. People can talk all they want about execution, but it’s an issue of coaching when the job hasn’t been done for seven weeks on offense.
