What Went Wrong For Texas A&M Before Halftime?

For the first time this season, the Texas A&M Aggies found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trailing by the most points they had all season.

There wasn’t one area to blame the most as the offense, defense, and kicking game shot themselves in the foot numerous times.

Early in the game, there were missed field goals that could’ve kept the game within striking distance for the Aggies to catch up—dropped passes by the wide receivers added up, along with the quarterback making poor decisions, particularly when he made some questionable reads with his eyes.

Defensively, there was a miscommunication, allowing way too many explosive plays where South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers fired away, reverting to his old form from the 2024 season.

Beat In Pass Game

Will Lee III diving to make a play against South Carolina. — Nov 15, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs (4) makes a reception and runs the ball in for a touchdown as Texas A&M Aggies cornerback Will Lee III (4) defends during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With an 11 a.m. kickoff time, A&M slept through its alarm far past halftime as both sides of the ball had no momentum on its side for a while.

Sellers arguably had one of his best performances of the season, and it could be because of having a different playcaller, who changed what the Gamecocks’ offense could actually do. At halftime, South Carolina registered 312 total yards, where 204 yards came in the air.

To close the first quarter, the Aggies suffered a breakdown by the secondary, where Sellers was on the right page with his WR room. Sellers sat at 80 yards connecting with one of his favorite weapons, Vandrevius Jacobs, who didn’t hesitate in running his precise routes, where he racked up 57 yards with a 50-yard touchdown that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Another problem A&M’s secondary wasn’t ready for was Nyck Harbor, who finished the second half accumulating 84 yards off two receptions. His go-route after the interception thrown by Reed gave South Carolina a 27-3 lead. A little responsibility for those five explosive plays came courtesy of coverage from Will Lee III, Dezz Ricks, Tyreek Chappell, Dalton Brooks, and Marcus Ratcliffe, who all struggled with catching the ball in the air.

One of the worst teams in the SEC, which entered the morning ranked 16th for fewest offensive yards and scoring in the conference, washed away those numbers and embarrassed the coverage.

Sloppy Offense and Kicking Game

Randy Bond in 2024 kicking against South Carolina. — Nov 2, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Texas A&M Aggies place kicker Randy Bond (47) kicks an extra point against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

From the first half alone, the Aggies turned the ball over three times, and the Gamecocks answered with 17 points, because the Aggies' offense did not finish.

The first time South Carolina converted from a turnover was when Reed dropped back to pass and got pounded by defensive lineman Nyck Barrett. In the passing motion, Reed attempted to make something out of nothing but got caught in the motion, tossing a backward pass that ended in disaster with a 17-yard fumble return.

In the formation that was set up, Reed was in the backfield with running back Rueben Owens lined up on Reed’s right side. When the ball was live, Owens went to the left side, which initially appeared to help block on the left side, but Barrett was left unblocked.

Late in the second quarter, Klein’s play calling was adjusted to move at a faster tempo, taking shots down the field to Concepcion, where he hauled in a 27-yard reception. It happened with RB Owens stepping up in the pass game. Every hard-earned yard seemed like it was going to pay off finally, but A&M had to push the brakes after Reed slung it straight to the wrong player. Again.

Once again, Reed drove the offense down the field on the ninth possession of the first half, but made a poor choice that turned the Aggies' momentum against them, allowing the Gamecocks to go up 27 on a field goal at the end of the first half.

One of the veterans on the A&M sidelines, who proudly wears No. 12 on his jersey, has taken on kicking responsibilities in the meantime. When a kicker has the pressure on him to use his leg to drill a kick through the uprights, the live action can make a mind spin.

For the Plano, Texas, kicker who came into the season thinking he would definitely hold the starting position, life threw him a curveball, altering his other collegiate career plans. Another door opened up where he claimed the starting job back. Going into the game against South Carolina, the unfortunate circumstances fell the wrong way for him, who missed two pivotal kicks.

The first kick off the leg of Bond from 45 yards was off target, and following that, Bond failed on a chip shot kick from 24 yards out. In the short term, that might come back to bite the graduate in must-have situations.

On paper, Bond finished with one field goal converted on three attempts. His field goal percentage is 66.7 percent, with a long of 49 yards, in 2025. That’s an issue, but considering his one make, it saved the Aggies from staying undefeated.

A&M hosts the final game at Kyle Field against Samford on November 22, at 11 a.m. on SEC Network+.