South Carolina Vs. Texas A&M: The Halftime Report

South Carolina came out hot and have propelled themselves to a 17-14 lead over Texas A&M at the break.

The South Carolina Gamecocks haven't defeated the Aggies since this series began back at the start of the 2014 season, but with the way this game has gone up to this point, you certainly wouldn't know it. 

South Carolina has come out firing while the Aggies, for at least the first 10 minutes of the ball game, were unable to answer, and it's happened due to a couple of different factors at play.

Beamer Ball Is Alive And Well

With the way this season has played out, the garnet and black faithful have come to expect this special teams group to make some positive impact in every game the Gamecocks play, and this time, it didn't even take two plays for that impact to be felt. 

Wide receiver Xavier Legette fielded the opening kick a couple of yards into his endzone, ran to the right side of the field, broke multiple Aggie tackles, and took it to the end zone, causing Williams-Brice to erupt into a frenzy.

The Gamecocks then proceeded to force two turnovers on the next two Aggie possessions, one through a Darius Rush interception and another through a botched snap via some miscommunication that Tonka Hemingway scooped up. These two turnovers would lead to another 10 points for the Gamecocks, putting them up 17 points in just a little over five minutes to start the contest.

Harassment From Carolina's Defensive Front

South Carolina's defensive front has been considered one of the deeper units on this team all season. Combined with the gritty experience at the linebacker position, they have made life miserable for Haynes King in the first half.

Defensive coordinator Clayton White has played a significant role in this by dialing up some exotic blitzes involving a delayed corner blitz and some cover 0 looks, amongst other calls.

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