Upset brewing in College Station: South Carolina’s lopsided halftime lead at Texas A&M has social media buzzing
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
No one expected South Carolina to have a 30-3 lead over Texas A&M at halftime, much less keep the Week 12 matchup at Kyle Field competitive.
Yet, that’s where we are. Thanks to three first-half takeaways and a pair of LaNorris Sellers touchdown passes, the Gamecocks have a massive lead at the break as they look for a College Football Playoff-altering upset on the road.
After the two teams exchanged field goals, Sellers threw an absolute dime in the direction of Vandrevius Jacobs as the Gamecocks went up 10-3. Then, late in the 1st quarter, they extended their lead to 17-3 on a scoop-and-score TD as Marcel Reed lost the ball a few yards inside his own 20.
Even when things appeared to be going the Aggies’ way, they ultimately didn’t.
Up 20-3 with nearly 3 minutes left, Sellers threw an interception that was taken to the 6-yard line. But a Marcel Reed carry for no gain was followed by a pair of incompletions before Randy Bond’s chipshot field goal rang off the left upright.
Then, after KC Concepcion returned a punt inside the Gamecocks’ 40 following a South Carolina three-and-out, Reed threw an interception into the end zone. On the very next play, Sellers connected with Nyck Harbor, and the lightning-fast wideout did the rest as South Carolina took a 27-3 lead. That margin increased to 30-3 after Reed threw his second INT of the day.
Many will point to the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Shula as a catalyst for the Gamecocks’ sizeable lead. Make no mistake, though: South Carolina has outplayed Texas A&M in all three phases of the game, not just offense. (That’s not to mention reports of a possible contract extension for Mike Elko, either.)
Here’s some of the reaction across social media:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
