For the third time in three weeks, Texas A&M played away from Kyle Field, and for the third time it came away with a victory. The Aggies remained unbeaten (5-0, 3-0) with a solid effort on Saturday from both sides of the football.

Here is an analysis of Texas A&M’s 24-13 victory over South Carolina:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Aggies’ defense is still tough even without Myles Garrett: Even without the heart and soul of their defense, the Aggies turned in another big game defensively. With Garrett sidelined by an ankle injury, Texas A&M limited the Gamecocks to just two field goals after the home team scored on their first play from scrimmage — a 75-yard touchdown run.
  • Linebackers getting the job done: The much-maligned corps of linebackers is getting the job done this season. Shaan Washington led the team in tackles (11) and solo tackles (7). He also had two tackles for loss, including a sack, and forced a fumble as well. Otaro Alaka was second on the team in tackles with seven, including 1.5 for loss.
  • Aggies’ offense is deep and talented: Texas A&M played without three starters on offense and was still able to score 24 points and roll up 422 yards of total offense. Receivers Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones, along with lineman Jermaine Eluemunor, sat out Saturday’s game. But the Aggies were able to overcome with a balanced attack (216 rushing yards, 206 passing yards).
  • Road warriors: The Aggies won for the third consecutive week away from Kyle Field. All three were SEC games: at Auburn and at South Carolina, with the Arkansas game played at a neutral site. Great leadership and character are key ingredients in winning on the road in the SEC.
  • Aggies are one of the elite teams in the SEC: One of only three SEC teams left that is undefeated, the Aggies are in pretty good company with both Alabama and Tennessee. The Aggies will play both of those teams in the coming weeks. They take on Tennesse next Saturday in Kyle Field. Then after a bye week, Texas A&M travels to meet Alabama.

REPORT CARD

Offense: B – Without three starters, the Aggies were still able to pile up more than 400 yards and convert on 9-of-19 third downs. Though it sputtered at times, the Aggies’ offense was able to score 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Defense: A – Keeping the other team from scoring is the name of the game, and after the first play from scrimmage, the Aggies were able to do that for the most part, limiting the Gamecocks to two second-half field goals the rest of the way.

Special teams: B – Punt and kick coverage was excellent. The Aggies allowed a total of 5 yards on punt returns and 19 yards on one kickoff return, with four others going for touchbacks. But while their own return game was very good, it could have been better. The Aggies averaged 10 yards on two punt returns and 26.3 yards on three kickoff returns. Punter Shane Tripucka turned in another good game with a 44.8-yard average on five punts.

Coaching: A – The Aggies were put in position to be successful. That’s all you can ask from the coaching staff. They went for it twice on fourth down, converting one.

Overall: A- – It was another solid effort on both sides of the football. Winning on the road in the SEC is never easy.

GAME PLAN

Keeping the offensive attack balanced was a key in Saturday’s victory. The Aggies ran 39 running plays for 216 yards, and QB Trevor Knight threw it 40 times (23 completions) for 206 yards. The defense remained aggressive and bent at times but almost always came up with big plays in the clutch. South Carolina was only able to convert 3-of-14 third downs.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Trevor Knight: In a game where he was short-handed by two receivers, Knight was still able to throw for 206 yards, completing 23 passes to five different players.
  • LB Shaan Washington: The senior nearly equalled his career-high (13) with a game-high 11 tackles on Saturday. He surpassed 200 tackles for his career with a stop in the first quarter.
  • LB Cullen Gillaspia (12th Man) : The Aggies’ 12th Man recovered a fumble late in the game on a punt to preserve the victory.