COLUMBIA, S.C. — LaNorris Sellers ran for 106 yards and threw for another 244, and South Carolina finally defeated one of the Southeastern Conference's playoff contenders, defeating No. 10 Texas A&M 44-20 on Saturday night.

The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3) beat LSU and Alabama this season before losing. But this time, their freshman quarterback and senior transfer Raheim Sanders ran over the Aggies (7-2, 5-1), who allowed just 104.5 yards per game on Saturday.

Sanders, the all-SEC transfer from Arkansas, rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Sellers threw two touchdowns and ran for another score.

“He is special. He’s just going to get better,” Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer said of the quarterback, who played just his fourth complete game in college. “When he had those two losses against LSU and Alabama, he was inexperienced.”

Beamer said all he heard before the game was how strong Texas A&M was on both lines. He was proud that they gained 286 yards on the ground and shut out the Aggies in the second half.

“We're a pretty damn physical team here, too,” Beamer said, his voice hoarse and wearing a thick black chain with a Gamecock logo around his neck, given to him by a student who stormed the field.

The Aggies fought their way through the SEC and were the last undefeated team in the league, regaining a lead before halftime after falling behind 14-0 less than six minutes into the game.

But South Carolina's chaotic defense came through when it needed to. It stopped the Aggies twice on fourth-and-1, intercepted Marcel Reed's pass as the freshman threw off his back foot as Texas A&M gained momentum early in the fourth quarter, and then recovered Reed's fumble to snuff out their last hope close.

Reed was 18 of 28 for 206 yards and ran for 46 yards as Aggies starter Conner Weigman did not play. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said Reed is the starter right now, but that could always change.

Texas A&M rushing leader Le'Veon Moss left the game early and did not return. Elko said his injury didn't look as serious as initially thought, but he was waiting for more information.

Big boys
Time and time again, it seemed like the Texas A&M defense sacked Sellers or stopped Sanders to gain a short lead, and they recovered. Elko said his team has to realize that it takes good form to take down big men.

“Obviously I did a poor job of getting our defense to understand how to handle a 240-pound kid. We kept trying to come up,” Aggies coach Mike Elko said in his postgame press conference. His comments were barely audible as fans were still chanting “Game” and “Cocks” in the stands and on the field.

Takeaways
Texas A&M: The loss is a blow to the Aggies' SEC title hopes, but not a fatal one. They join four other teams — LSU, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas — with a conference loss. Texas A&M plays at modest Auburn and then ends the regular season with the Longhorns. They have never made it to Atlanta to play in the championship game in their 13 years in the SEC.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks are one of the most volatile teams in the SEC. On Saturday they showed they can beat anyone in the league and are just one win away from a bowl with lower league Wofford still on the schedule.

Impact on the survey
No. 10 Texas A&M will drop a few spots in the AP Top 25, but with losses to both 11th-ranked teams, Iowa State and Clemson, the Aggies shouldn't fall too far behind.

Next
Texas A&M: Host New Mexico State on Nov. 16.

South Carolina: Next Saturday at Vanderbilt.

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