Grading the Gamecocks: Texas A&M

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

The Gamecocks are officially out of bowl contention with offensive struggles taking centerstage in a 30-6 loss to Texas A&M with very few positives to take from the fifth double-digit loss of the season.

It was a rough time grading this week, so let's get right into it.

Quarterback: F

It might not be all on Ryan Hilinski or Dakereon Joyner, but any time the offense puts up just six points, doesn't score a touchdown and gains only 102 yards in a half of football it's hard to give the unit a passing grade.

The Gamecocks completed just 39 percent of their 41 attempts for 215 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.

Also see: Instant analysis from Saturday's loss

Hilinski looked off all night, not connecting on just one deep ball to Shi Smith but consistently overthrowing or firing behind receivers. It's not all his fault but it's hard to pass this group.

(Spoiler alert: the entire offense receives failing grades.)

Running backs: F

Any time the punter is the team's second-leading rusher, things probably didn't go well on the ground. The Gamecocks rushed for just 45 yards, marking back-to-back games they've put up less than 50 yards on the ground.

Their longest run of the night came on the first play of the game, a 13-yard Rico Dowdle scamper, and their second-longest was a 10-yard rush by punter Joe Charlton on a busted punt.

In all, a poor performance from a group who has played really well at times this season.

Wide receivers/tight ends: F

Chad Terrell and Kyle Markway each had over 45 yards receiving, but the Gamecocks couldn't really do much through the passing game. The unit struggled to get separation all night and drops continue to be a major issue for this group.

Even with Shi Smith and Chavis Dawkins back from injury, the receiver corps looked anemic for the majority of the game without Bryan Edwards.

Also see: Everything Will Muschamp said postgame

Offensive line: F

Again, a group that played so well to start the year made another lackluster performance for the second straight week. They couldn't get enough push up front, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry and Hilinski was under pressure for a lot of the night.

A&M only had one sack but was credited with eight quarterback hurries.

Defensive line: C-

Outside of the fourth quarter, when the defense was absolutely gassed, the group played well. They finished allowing 6.9 yards per carry and a handful of chunk plays late, but played well enough in the first half. The grade goes down because of the performance later in the game when they were getting bounced out of gaps and couldn't stop A&M.

Linebackers: C

Ernest Jones continues to have a standout first full season as a starter, forcing a fumble and adding 13 more tackles to his season total. They struggled after TJ Brunson was ejected and, like the defensive line, got taken out of plays late.

A solid first half performance is enough to give them an average grade.

Also see: Latest on a Rivals150 player eyeing a Gamecock visit soon

Secondary: C

This group actually played pretty well at times. They held Mond to 221 yards passing while him averaging almost seven yards a completion. Like the rest of the defense, those numbers look worse after the third quarter.

Another average performance from the defense.

Special teams: B

Charlton rushed for 10 yards on arguably the best play of the night for South Carolina. He also punted eight times and averaged 46 yards per attempt, out-dueling another great punter in Braden Mann (41.2 yard average).

Xavier Legette showed some things in the return game before leaving with an injury and Parker White's solid junior year continues with two made field goals. The reason this grade goes down is because of a few break downs in the coverage game with A&M getting 24 kick return yards and 53 on punt return.

Coaching: F

Defensively, the game plan seemed to work for three quarters, but the offensive game plan seemed less like a game plan and more like a smattering of plays with no real rhyme or reason.

They struggled to have any sort of consistency offensively and that falls on the coaching staff. Also, opting to kick a field goal down 27 points late in the fourth quarter was mind-boggling.