Incredible stat highlights improbability of Texas A&M comeback vs. South Carolina
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Texas A&M trailed South Carolina on Saturday for longer than it had trailed in its first 9 games of the season combined.
And the Aggies still won.
If there’s a stat that sums up just how improbable the Aggies’ 31-30 victory over South Carolina was, it’s that.
According to ESPN, Texas A&M trailed for 31 minutes and 8 seconds total through the first 9 games of the season. On Saturday, the Aggies trailed the Gamecocks for a total of 42 minutes and 56 seconds.
A&M didn’t take its first lead of the game until the 10:47 mark in the fourth quarter when EJ Smith ran in a 4-yard touchdown to officially complete the comeback.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw 2 interceptions, one of them in the endzone, in the opening half. He also lost a fumble that was picked up and returned for a touchdown by South Carolina. The Aggies missed a field goal and kicked another off the upright. They went into the locker room at halftime trailing 30-3.
But they scored 21 points in 13 minutes of game time in the third quarter. Reed completed 9 of his 12 passes in the frame for 203 yards, piloting an offense that averaged more than 14 yards per play.
In the fourth quarter, A&M had a chance to ice the game with its offense late but a turnover gave South Carolina one final chance to redeem itself. The Aggie defense emphatically slammed the door on that hope with a pair of sacks on the Gamecocks’ final possession.
The victory was the largest comeback win in Texas A&M history, and it was the first by an SEC team after trailing by at least 27 points since 2004.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
