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Five Key Plays: South Carolina-Texas A&M

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

Gamecock Central breaks down five plays that cost the Gamecocks against the Aggies. And they aren't all dropped passes.

Will Muschamp || Photo by Katie Dugan
Will Muschamp || Photo by Katie Dugan

Interception in the end zone

The teams traded a pair of punts to start the game, and then on South Carolina's third possession it finally was able to move the ball. A pair of long runs by Ty'Son Williams got South Carolina into the red zone. A penalty and a short run gave South Carolina second and goal from the five. Jake Bentley tried to throw a fade to Josh Vann, but he got nothing on the throw and missed Vann badly. Charles Oliver easily boxed out Vann for the interception in the end zone, ending a scoring opportunity. In a three-point loss, the points taken away by the turnover made all the difference.

The punter?

Will Muschamp has said several times that Bryan Edwards just needed a little bit of space to break a punt return. He finally broke one against the Aggies, slithering up the sideline for 34 yards. But like almost everything else for the Gamecocks on Saturday, it ended badly. Edwards crossed midfield and was met by punter Braden Mann. Mann lunged at Edwards and missed, but he got just enough of his arm to loosen the football. As Edwards tried to secure the football, it popped into the air and was recovered by the Aggies at their 41. The fumble wiped out the big play the Gamecocks were waiting for, and one they never got. And it was the punter that forced the fumble!

Drop

Dropped passes had as much to do with South Carolina losing the game as anything. Deebo Samuel, Shi Smith (who had the first two drops of his career), and Edwards all had critical drops. None of the drops was worse than Edwards' drop in the second quarter. He had a step on the defender, and Bentley threw a perfectly placed deep ball. He couldn't have placed the ball any better if he handed it to Edwards. The play should have gained at least 50 yards, and maybe a touchdown if Edwards could break a tackle. Instead the ball went right through Edwards' hands. South Carolina punted three plays later.

Fourth-down conversion

In the third quarter, South Carolina dug itself out of the hole it made for itself, but not without some drama. On South Carolina's first possession of the second half, the Aggies and Gamecocks traded fifteen yard penalties, and South Carolina wound up facing a fourth and eight just inside Texas A&M territory. Texas A&M had tight coverage, but the line gave Bentley plenty of time. He waited and waited until Samuel came open running right across the field at the first down line. Bentley fired a pass to Samuel who made a tough catch and leaned forward for the first down. The conversion got Bentley going, and two plays later he and Smith connected on South Carolina's first touchdown of the game.

Dropped (Interception)

After South Carolina tied the game at 16, Texas A&M put together a long drive that stalled in the red zone. Seth Small kicked the go ahead field goal, but Texas A&M needed a little luck on the play before. On third and 14, Kellen Mond had plenty of time to, and fired to Camron Buckley on the goal line. Rashad Fenton read the play perfectly and stepped in front of Buckley. Fenton had the ball in his hands, but Buckley somehow poked it free, preventing the turnover. Fenton was in perfect position for the pick, and may never get a cleaner look than that. If he holds on, Small doesn't kick the field goal that ended up being the difference in the final score. It was another play that directly affected the final score.

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