Grading the Gamecocks: Texas A&M
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
The South Carolina football team lost again, but not before mounting a furious 16-point comeback and petering out at the end of the game.
GamecockCentral handed out player grades after the 26-23 loss.
Quarterback: C-
Jake Bentley had a really rough start, which included a red zone interception in a scoreless game. He finished the first half with six completions for 46 yards but had a really good second half with 11 completions for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
He didn't get a lot of help from his receivers in the second half with drops plaguing that corps again.
Also see: Postgame recruiting scoop
Running back: D+
Looking at the numbers—76 yards, 4.2 yards per carry—they seem pretty solid but take away two runs and it's a different story. Ty'Son Williams had two explosive runs combining for 41 yards. Take away those two and the backs had 35 yards and averaged 2.2 yards per carry.
Wide receiver: D
There were a few explosive plays—four receivers had at least one catch of over 20 yards—but there were a few back-breaking drops that either stalled momentum or killed drives, including three from Shi Smith, who hadn't dropped a pass in his college career before Saturday.
Chavis Dawkins had his first touchdown and Deebo Samuel tied a season-high with 88 yards receiving and a touchdown but the drops from the entire unit were just too big of a detractor.
Also see: Josh Low's instant reaction of Saturday's loss
Offensive line: C+
They protected Jake really well, only one sack on a blitz where the Aggies had more rushing than South Carolina had protecting, and paved the way in the run game for a few explosive plays. Dylan Wonnum had a few snaps as well in place of Blake Camper.
Defensive line: B-
After a lot was made about South Carolina's run defense this week, the Gamecock front seven responded. They held Texas A&M to 2.6 yards per carry and sacked Kellen Mond twice and hurried him four times. They also had five tackles for loss with Aaron Sterling and Bryson Allen-Williams seemingly playing in the backfield a lot of Saturday.
Linebackers: C-
Sherrod Greene had the game of his life, picking up a career-high 12 tackles and was everywhere defensively. The knocks against the linebackers come in coverage with them having a hard time stopping Mond through the air along with tight end Jace Sternberger.
Also see: Insider notes on South Carolina's newest basketball commitment
Secondary: D+
Kellen Mond threw for over 350 yard and a touchdown, connecting on a few big plays and completing 67.5 percent of passes Saturday. Quartney Davis caught for 127 yards and Sternberger had 145 more as the secondary allowed 9.5 yards per attempt and 14.1 per completion.
It was bad enough for Will Muschamp to bench Keisean Nixon at times and put Jaycee Horn at one of the outside corner spots, move Jamyest Williams to nickel and true freshman RJ Roderick at safety.
Special teams: C+
Joseph Charlton had arguably his best day, averaging 50.7 yards per punt with three being downed inside the 20-yard line. But, Bryan Edwards fumbled on a huge 32-yard punt return to give the ball away and the kick off team struggled to open holes for Deebo Samuel to bring that grade down.
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