COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Marcel Reed threw for a career-high 439 yards and three touchdowns and No. 3 Texas A&M rallied from a 27-point deficit to remain undefeated with a 31-30 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
It’s the biggest comeback in school history, eclipsing a 21-point rally by a Johnny Manziel-led team in a 52-48 win in the 2013 Chick-Fil-A Bowl over Duke. Entering Saturday, teams were 0-286 in Southeastern Conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more.
Reed bounced back from an awful first half where he was intercepted twice and had a fumble returned for a score to put the Aggies in a 30-3 hole with a dazzling second half to keep Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0, No. 3 CFP) on track for its first trip to the College Football Playoff.
The Aggies took the lead for the first time on a 4-yard run by EJ Smith with about 11 minutes left.
Texas A&M had a first down at the 1 after that, but Jamarion Morrow fumbled on a trick play and the Gamecocks recovered with about three minutes to go.
Dalton Brooks and Cashius Howell sacked LaNorris Sellers on consecutive plays to bring up fourth-and-16 with about 90 seconds to go. Sellers scrambled on fourth down and he was stopped short of the first down marker to seal the victory.
Sellers threw for 246 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for South Carolina (3-7, 1-7), which lost a fifth straight game.
Izaiah Williams caught a 27-yard TD pass from Reed to make it 30-10 on A&M’s first drive of the second half. Reed had a 16-yard run on fourth-and-12 to keep the drive alive.
Reed found Ashton Bethel-Roman for a 39-yard TD to get the Aggies within 30-17 with about four minutes left in the third.
Reed’s 14-yard pass to Nate Boerkircher cut the lead to a touchdown late in the third quarter. That score was set up by a short pass that Bethel-Roman turned into a 76-yard reception the play before.
K.C. Concepcion had seven receptions for 158 yards and Bethel-Roman added 139 yards receiving for the Aggies.
The Gamecocks took a 10-3 lead when Sellers connected with Vandrevius Jacobs on a 50-yard touchdown pass.
They pushed the lead to 17-3 when 322-pound defensive tackle Nick Barrett scooped up a fumble by Reed and rumbled 17-yards for a score late in the first quarter.
South Carolina was up by 17 late in the second quarter when Brooks intercepted a pass from Sellers and returned it 39 yards to give the Aggies a first down at the 6. Concepcion couldn’t reel in two straight passes in the end zone before Randy Bond missed his second field goal of the half to leave Texas A&M emptyhanded.
The Aggies defense got a stop, but Reed was intercepted in the end zone with about a minute left in the first half to give the Gamecocks the ball again. They took advantage of that mistake when Nyck Harbor had an 80-yard catch and run for a score on the first play of the drive to extend the lead to 27-3.
Reed was picked off again two plays later and South Carolina tacked on a field goal to make it 30-3 at halftime.
The takeaway
South Carolina: The Gamecocks had a great first half, but must avoid a letdown like the one they had today if they hope to end their losing streak.
Texas A&M: The Aggies should maintain their spot in the poll and CFP rankings, but they’ll need to play much better if they hope to contend for a national title this season.
Up next
South Carolina: Hosts Coastal Carolina next week.
Texas A&M: Hosts Samford next week before its showdown with rival No. 10 Texas on Nov. 28.
