Texas A&M Aggies' Defense Collapses In Loss to South Carolina

The Texas A&M Aggies' usually stout defense was anything but against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Jon Alfano | Nov 3, 2024

Nov 2, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks tight end Joshua Simon (6) jumps over Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Dalton Brooks (25) while running on a touchdown reception in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

What has been the Texas A&M Aggies' greatest strength this season turned into their biggest weakness.

In Saturday night's loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Aggies' usually strong defense compltely collapsed in front of a national audience. As if 44 points allowed - nearly double the Aggies' previous high of 24 this season - wasn't bad enough, they allowed quarterback LaNorris Sellers (13 of 27, 244 passing yards, 106 rushing yards, three total touchdowns), running back Raheim Sanders (144 rushing yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Joshua Simon (four receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns) to walk all over them.

As head coach Mike Elko admitted postgame, the execution just wasn't anywhere near good enough.

"We didn't bring our feet," Elko said. "We didn't tackle the big backs the way you need to. They're big, powerful kids. If you want to tackle big, powerful kids, you have to bring your body through the tackle. We didn't do that."

Perhaps the most disappointing issue was the abundance of missed tackles throughout the game. Most notably, Simon shook two would-be tacklers on a 57-yard touchdown that ultimately put the game out of reach.

TO THE MOON 🚀 pic.twitter.com/FFHHSQl9Yy
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) November 3, 2024

"The missed tackles have been growing and growing," Elko said. "Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is learn in victory. It gets covered up and it gets masked up. Some of the things we've been playing and winning through certainly showed up tonight and in a really bad way. That's on me. My job as a coach is to get them to understand that to the level they need to understand it to fix it. I didn't do that. That's on me."

Another problem is the fact that the Aggies fell behind 14-0 early on, and Elko even admitted they aren't built to play from behind like that. Even when they briefly took a 20-17 lead before halftime, they were never truly in control. That's a problem for both units, but the defense couldn't do enough to keep the game tight.

The defensive performance, and the game in general, was incredibly disappointing for the Aggies, but not all is lost. They're one of five teams with one loss in SEC play (Georgia, Tennesee, Texas, LSU) and still have a strong chance to make the conference championship game. However, their margin for error is now non-existent.

"We're tied for first in the SEC. We still control our own destiny to Atlanta. We still control our own destiny to the College Football Playoff. It very much feels like it because it is," Elko said.