Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 28: What We Learned

87d5e9024760348a7dd82032cc704482Kyle Murray had himself a stellar debut as the Aggies’ starter. For those who watched the Allen QB in high school, all of the same tools were on display. A strong arm, stellar speed and unrivaled acceleration. His final line was awesome, completing 20 of 28 attempts for 223 yards and a score, and running for 156 yards and another score. He also showed tremendous poise, smartly sliding or darting out of bounds at the end of each run. Kevin Sumlin remained noncommittal after the game on the quarterback position going forward, but after showing such command and ability to break out big plays (even against a not great South Carolina team), it’s hard to imagine Murray doesn’t get another full run next week against Auburn. The Aggies may revolt if he doesn't. The defense wasn’t great (again). South Carolina entered the game 3-4 overall and 1-4 in conference, and then proceeded to rack up 445 yards of offense on the Aggies. We’ll grant that Texas A&M’s offense has certainly improved, particularly in big situations that require a key stop, and we’ll also concede that anyone who says they expected Gamecocks quarterback Perry Orth to start breaking off big runs out of nowhere is either lying or a member of his family. There were wrinkles in the South Carolina approach that were tough to expect. That said: Against South Carolina, at home, after two rough losses, we expected something stiffer than this. That said… Donovan Wilson’s feel for the big moment came up huge. This defense does continue to step up at crucial times, and Wilson couldn’t have been bigger on Saturday. He had two interceptions, one of which he took back for a score, and he broke up a pass in the fourth quarter that, if he had missed, looked like it was home free for a score. Players stepping up and making plays when they have to be made is a key part of a defense redefining itself. Wilson has that savvy in bunches.