Aggies grind up Gamecocks, 30-6

With former running back JaMar Toombs and other members of the 1999 team which beat Texas 20-16 in the Bonfire Game in attendance, the Aggies ran for 319 yards and kept South Carolina out of the end zone in a 30-6 thumping before nearly 105,000 at Kyle Field Saturday night. The win, A&M’s fourth in a row, pushed the Aggies to a 7-3 record (4-2 SEC), while the Gamecocks fell to 4-7 and put Will Muschamp’s job in greater jeopardy.

A&M held onto the ball for nearly 42 minutes and started dominating the clock immediately, going on a 12-play, 78-yard drive lasting more than 7 minutes on their first offensive possession after the Gamecocks started the game with a three and out. The Aggies were helped by a targeting foul by South Carolina linebacker T.J. Brunson which negated a sack, fumble and 12-yard loss for A&M. The drive ended in just three points, however, after quarterback Kellen Mond was sacked again on 3rd and 6 from the South Carolina 11.

The Gamecocks would come back to even the score at 3 later in the first quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Parker White, but it would be a long time before Carolina was in any position to threaten again. The last play of the quarter was a 20-yard run by freshman Isaiah Spiller (24 carries, 129 yards) and a harbinger of things to come. Harkening back to the Gulf Coast Offense of R.C. Slocum, the Aggies ran the ball seven straight times before Mond (20-33, 211 yards, 1 TD passing, 1 TD rushing) found running back Cordarrian Richardson wide open on a wheel route for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

“We lined up and ran that football,” coach Jimbo Fisher said.

While the Aggies were starting to rev up their running game, South Carolina’s was non-existent. The Gamecocks’ first run of the night, a 13-yarder by Rico Dowdle (7 carries, 12 yards) was their best. The only other run in double digits was a 10-yard scamper by punter Joseph Charlton, who pulled down the ball and ran for his life in the face of a potential punt block late in the second quarter. For the game, South Carolina ran for just 45 yards on 17 carries.

“I think our front did a heck of a job, held them to 45 yards rushing, which limited them to being one dimensional,” Fisher said.

With no running game to speak of, the game was put on the shoulders of South Carolina true freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski, who found himself facing a furious Aggie pass rush. Hilinski was only sacked once, but was hit more than a dozen times and was clearly rattled as he completed only 16 of 41 passes for 175 yards, missing badly on many throws.

“The more pressure we put on him, the harder it was for him,” linebacker Buddy Johnson (6 tackles) said.

The Aggies would score on their last possession of the first half to push their lead to 10, then snoozed offensively in the third quarter.

“Very disappointed in [the offense] for three or four drives,” Fisher said. “The third quarter, [they] didn't play well. And our defense held them to 22 yards total offense.”

But the Aggie offense did hold onto the ball for 12:07 in the third quarter, which paid off almost immediately as the final quarter began. A&M added a 40-yard field goal by Seth Small to make it 16-3, forced another South Carolina three and out, then started leaning on the ground game. After Spiller carried twice for 19 yards, Richardson (6 carries, 130 yards, 1 TD) ripped off runs of 14 and 31 yards as the Gamecock defense finally collapsed. Mond finished the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak to push the lead to 23-3.

"That’s one thing this team has been good about, we always beat people down. When it comes down to these tough, hard-fought games, it’s always them rolling over, not us,” center Colton Prater said. “The (South Carolina) defense was out there complaining about it, they were feeling it, too. That’s fun for an offensive lineman, to hold the ball that long, beat people down and put your will on them. We love that.”

Afterwards, the Gamecocks defenders admitted being on the field so much took a toll on them.

“It had a big impact. We’re playing a tough SEC opponent that’s very big and physical. When you’re on the field a lot, that’s a lot of wear and tear on the players,” cornerback Jaycee Horn said.

The pounding for the South Carolina defense wasn’t over. The Gamecocks got the ball at midfield after a 50-yard return by Xavier Legette and drove to the A&M 23, but turned the ball over on downs. Two plays later, Richardson went right up the middle virtually untouched for a 75-yard touchdown.

“He is a very talented guy. He's big. He's 240 pounds. He's physical. Those guys, they're hard to tackle,” Fisher said. “He's learning to be a great blocker and do some things, and he's a big weapon for us. There's no doubt. And I'm very happy he's playing like he's playing.”

In holding South Carolina to 177 yards of total offense and racking up 540 of their own, the Aggies showed they have improved significantly over the past month. But now the big tasks await: No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 LSU, both on the road.

“We're going to have some great opponents to [play] against,” Fisher said.

The old-fashioned approach shown Saturday night might just be what the Aggies need to grind out a win in Athens or Baton Rouge.