Offense continues to sputter
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina pitches a massive ride at its state fair as the “Rolls-Royce of Ferris wheels.”
Across the parking lot from the fair on Saturday night, home fans in Williams-Brice Stadium were treated to the Edsel of Southeastern Conference offenses. There’s a reason many people haven’t heard of the Edsel — it was discontinued decades ago after a few years of experimentation.
Texas A&M’s mighty offensive struggles under coach Jimbo Fisher pressed on, and South Carolina prevailed 30-24 in rowdy environs and with the bright lights of the fair twirling across the pavement.
“The guys played a hard game and fought and came back and gave us a chance,” Fisher said. “But we can’t start off like that on the road.”
The Aggies recovered an onside kick with nine seconds left, but a final desperation drive fell short. The game also featured the debut of A&M five-star freshman quarterback Conner Weigman of Bridgeland High, who replaced an injured Haynes King early in the fourth quarter. Weigman, who appears to have plenty to learn in Fisher’s complex offense, finished 8of-15 for 91 yards in limited action.
South Carolina clutched a 24-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter before embarking on an eight-play, 80-yard game-clinching drive, capped by a smooth 4-yard touchdown run by MarShawn Lloyd against a gassed A&M defense.
The Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2 SEC) won their first game in the teams’ nine meetings as league cross-division rivals since 2014, with Shane Beamer in his second season as South Carolina’s coach. Fisher lost for the first time in five games against the Gamecocks while at A&M.
The contest started with a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown by South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, so the Aggies (3-4, 1-3 SEC) trailed before their offense or even defense had taken
the field.
Then on A&M’s first possession, a hobbled King was intercepted along the right sideline by Gamecocks defensive back Darius Rush, who returned the ball 59 yards before A&M running back Devon Achane made a touchdown-saving tackle.
The Gamecocks’ resulting drive starting on the A&M 5-yard line wound up with a 23-yard field goal, the first sign A&M’s defense would make every effort to keep the Aggies in the game despite the offensive miscues.
A&M played without starting center Bryce Foster (injured leg), and he was replaced in the starting lineup by Matthew Wykoff, and despite starting the first two games of the year at center in Foster’s then-absence because of illness Wykoff was rusty early.
On the Aggies’ second series, King stepped up to the center when Wykoff snapped the ball, which bounced off King’s body and into the hands of defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway, who returned the surprise 20
yards.
That short drive resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run by Christian BealSmith, and the Gamecocks led 17-0 a little more than five minutes into the game. The Aggies, however, leaned on their defense, as they have all season, to scratch back into the game.
A&M trailed 17-3 when safety Bryce Anderson caused and recovered a fumble by Gamecocks running back Juju McDowell on the South Carolina 29-yard line. That short field resulted in another Randy Bond field goal, closing the gap to 17-6 early in the second quarter.
The Aggies further tightened things up late on a 13-play, 94-yard drive capped by tight end Max Wright’s 9-yard touchdown catch in which he stretched the ball over the goal line. Amazingly, considering the fast start by the Gamecocks, the teams headed to the locker room with South Carolina leading 17-14.
South Carolina extended its lead to 24-14 on an 18yard touchdown run by
Lloyd late in the third quarter, but following an A&M punt the Aggies defense again did its job when defensive end Fadil Diggs forced a fumble by South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, and Anderson recovered the ball on the Gamecocks 24yard line.
Three plays later, Achane sprinted 15 yards up the middle for a touchdown to close the gap to 24-21 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. A&M’s offense continually held it back, however, and the Aggies had eight false starts overall.
“We just couldn’t make that (final) play or one more drive,” Fisher said. “… It’s not like we’re getting run out of the stadium.”
The Aggies finally return to Kyle Field for the first time in more than a month when they host No. 7 Mississippi this coming Saturday night and two days before Halloween. The Rebels will drop in the Associated Press poll following a 45-20 loss to unranked LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.
“Even though the score
is lopsided, it’s still one loss,” Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin told reporters following the 25-point setback at LSU. “You don’t get two losses in a game, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll have to go back and get to 1-0 next week.”
The Aggies will be angling for revenge against the Rebels following a 2919 A&M loss last November in Oxford, Miss. After that game, Kiffin referred to A&M’s offense as “slow,” which he said gave the outmanned Rebels a chance to prevail.
“We felt good knowing they were going to play really slow, and that plays to our favor on defense,” Kiffin said at the time. “We don’t have a lot of depth.”
Fisher then went and hired Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, D.J. Durkin, who is in the same role in his first year at A&M, and is responsible for A&M’s consistent decent showings on that side of the ball, despite the many offensive misgivings more than halfway through the season under Fisher.