Salient Stats: Texas A&M vs. South Carolina

Texas A&M has not solved all of their issues, but they made enough plays get the 30-17 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at Kyle Field. Let’s take a look at the numbers that defined this game.

• 0: Special teams catastrophes. Nik Constantinou’s punting yardage left something to be desired (not a single punt of 40+ yards) and Randy Bond missed a field goal, but the Aggies didn’t give up a game-changing play like the blocked field goal against Alabama or the punt return in Tennessee. Baby steps.
• 0: Second half offensive touchdowns AGAIN: The Ags have not scored an offensive TD since the game against Auburn way back on Sept. 23. Damning stuff.
• 2.6: Yards per carry for the Aggies. That’s an alarmingly bad number against a very pedestrian run defense. It speaks to the continued issues of this offensive line, both in pass protection and run blocking.
• 10: Tackles for loss, including four sacks. And that number is skewed by the fact that Spencer Rattler took three intentional grounding penalties that would have likely inflated those A&M defensive numbers even further.
• 118: Receiving yards for Ainias Smith. That output makes Ainias the team’s leading receiver on the season (he was tied with Evan Stewart going into this game). It marks the first time since the Orange Bowl at the conclusion of the 2020 season that Smith has surpassed the century mark against a Power 5 opponent.
• 176: Passing yards for Spencer Rattler. For a Texas A&M secondary that has had its fair share of problems, holding Rattler 100 yards below his season average is a notable achievement. He was seemingly under duress all game long. The defense did their part.

Flashes of greatness along with long stretches of frustration, with an end result that, while not catastrophic, doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence for the future.

This game was the complete Jimbo Fisher experience.