WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM: No team is going to go undefeated in SEC play this season, thanks to South Carolina. The Gamecocks knocked off the last team standing without a conference loss Saturday night in Columbia walloping tenth ranked Texas A&M 44-20 on Homecoming to snap an eight game losing streak versus ranked teams.
Just as they did last time out at Oklahoma when they scored 21 points within the Sooners’ first nine plays, the Gamecocks hit A&M with an early jolt scoring 14 points within the Aggies’ first four plays.
A&M fought back to tie the game at halftime 20-20, but the Gamecocks dominated the second half keeping the Aggies of the scoreboard while outgaining them 275 yards to 128.
The Aggies came in with the reputation for pounding the football on the ground, but it was the Gamecocks who did the pounding on this night. USC rushed for 286 yards, or 120 yards more than their per game average. They held the Aggies to 144 rushing yards, or 78 yards less than their per game average.
Rocket Sanders lit up the Aggies defense for 144 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. LaNorris Sellers rushed for 106 yards and one score.
Sellers also was big through the air with 244 passing yards and two scores. Josh Simon had four catches for 132 yards and caught both touchdown passes. And Sanders had 92 receiving yards out of the backfield.
The Gamecocks have won two in a row and are 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. They will play next Saturday at Vanderbilt.
Final Stats
Here’s my view from Williams-Brice Stadium
Gamecock Postgame
Shane Beamer
LaNorris Sellers & Josh Simon
Rocket Sanders
TJ Sanders & Demetrius Knight
Maybe after all these years Carolina will finally get at least a little R E S P E C T!