A resilient Aggies squad held off South Carolina 26-23 on the road Saturday. It was a big win on many levels for Texas A&M, which blew a big lead but then rallied back to claim a meaningful victory at Williams-Brice Stadium. Proving that you can win on the road in the SEC is the first step toward becoming legitimate contenders for a conference title. It was the first true road win for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, although the Aggies did defeat Arkansas earlier this season at a “neutral” site.

It was a solid step in the right direction for Texas A&M, which has two more road tests in front of it on a crucial three-game road swing that could very well make or break the season.

There was a lot to like about the game, as imperfect as it was. Here are five things I liked about the victory and three things that could still be improved upon.

Things I liked

1. Leadership of Kellen Mond: It seems that with each game, the Aggies’ sophomore quarterback gets more and more comfortable leading the team, especially in clutch situations. Mond was on target throughout, completing 25 of 37 passes for 353 yards — his second career 300-yard passing game. Of the Aggies’ 25 first downs, 15 were accomplished through the air on the arm of Mond, who surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for his career.

2. Receiving tandem of Quartney Davis and Jace Sternberger: Both achieved career highs in receptions and yards while giving Mond reliable options to throw to. Davis compiled 9 receptions for 127 yards, while Sternberger hauled in 7 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.

Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

3. Controlling the clock: The Aggies held the ball for 41 minutes, 29 seconds, a season high, while giving South Carolina minimal opportunities at best. They had the ball for nearly the entire fourth quarter, 12:17 time of possession in all. Texas A&M ran off 77 plays.

4. Seth Small comes up big: The Aggies’ kicker, replacing the injured Daniel LaCamera, has not let the pressure become too much for him. The freshman came through with four field goals on Saturday. Although he did miss from 42 yards out, the freshman opened the scoring by connecting on a 52-yarder, matching his career long. He also added field goals of 20, 32 and 39 yards. The four field goals are the most in a game this season for Texas A&M.

5. Braden Mann continues to flip the field: The junior punter continues an extraordinary season. His 67-yard punt in the first quarter was his 12th punt this season of 60-plus yards. The NCAA record for one season is 13. Mann averaged 52.2 yards on four punts Saturday.

Things that could be improved upon

1. Letting them back in the game: The Aggies failed to throw the knockout punch when they had South Carolina on the ropes. Leading 16-0 midway through the third quarter, Texas A&M failed to slam the door shut, and the Gamecocks fought back, tying the score before the end of the quarter and turning a dominating win into a dog fight to the end.

2. Penalties: As dominating a performance as it was, the Aggies could have turned the game into a blowout had it not been for 12 penalties for 117 yards. For the second time this season, DBs Debione Renfro and Donovan Wilson were both ejected for targeting.

3. Red zone difficulty: The Aggies could have made things much easier on themselves had they finished off long drives instead of having to call on Small for three points. Two 11-play and one nine-play drive resulted in red zone field goals.