COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina stretched its winning run to four games Saturday night, holding off Texas A&M 17-9 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia behind quarterback LaNorris Sellers and a defense that bent without breaking.
The night turned early in the third quarter, when Aggies kicker David Olano missed a field goal that would have put Texas A&M in front 12-7. That miss snapped a streak of 16 straight makes to open his season. Malik Orsan answered with a 43-yard kick midway through the fourth quarter, and South Carolina never trailed again at 10-9.
Sellers had visited the locker room for ankle X-rays just before halftime. He returned to finish 20-for-31 passing for 251 yards and a touchdown, then iced it with a 41-yard scoring run inside the last two minutes, one play after the Gamecocks stopped Texas A&M on downs. Nyck Harbor caught four passes for 70 yards, Isaiah Augustave added 50 yards on 10 carries and Fred Johnson led all players with 11 tackles, including a sack.
Texas A&M outgained the Gamecocks and held the ball nearly 10 minutes longer. Rueben Owens II ran for a season-best 137 yards, and the Aggies reached the South Carolina 3 on their final drive before Marcel Reed threw incomplete to end it.
South Carolina is now 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, sits No. 21 in the CFP rankings and is bowl eligible after opening league play 0-3. Texas A&M fell to 4-5 and 1-5.
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