Texas A&M's (7-2, 5-1 SEC) undefeated record in SEC play has ended. The Aggies were lifeless in the second half against South Carolina on the road, falling 44-20 after entering halftime tied 20-20 in one of the more underwhelming performances of the year.

Behind redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed's fourth start of the season, A&M's offense took a massive hit after starting running back Le'Veon Moss sustained a knee injury. The junior missed the rest of the game, placing a hole in the rushing attack despite running Amari Daniel's 55-yard touchdown shortly after.

However, while some may blame Reed's issues in the passing game for the loss, the Aggies' run defense was abysmal, allowing 286 yards on the ground. Tackling issues plagued A&M's ability to finish sacks and stop South Carolina running back Raheim Sanders from making his way to the second level.

Overall, Texas A&M was flat-out bad, but the season is far from over, as the Aggies are tied for first place with Georgia at 5-1 in the SEC standings with opportunities against Auburn and Texas to finish out strong, but head coach Mike Elko and his staff have plenty of issues to fix during the bye week.

Here are five big takeaways from Texas A&M's 44-20 loss to South Carolina.

5. Texas A&M's tackling issues are fixable

Texas A&M's defense, especially the Aggies' defense line, is still one of the top units in the SEC, but let's be honest, the tackling issues were an issue before the loss but they showed up full bore for four quarters against the Gamecocks.

It's fair to say that South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is hard to take down due to his size and dual-threat skillset. Still, nearly every time an Aggie linebacker, defensive lineman, or safety got their hands on the QB, Sellers slipped away and make something out of nothing.

Tackling is about focus, technique, and, most importantly, practice. This needs to be fixed during the bye week. Per Pro Football Focus, Texas A&M missed 25 tackles against the Gamecocks, but it felt like much more.

4. Jabre Barber looks like Texas A&M's best wide receiver

Yes, the picture above shows Jabre Barber recovering what could have been another Aggie turnover. Still, regardless of the small mistake, the senior wide receiver has been one of the more reliable playmakers in the passing game, leading the Aggies with 80 receiving yards and one of the two A&M touchdowns on the night.

Thriving in the slot, quarterback Marcel Reed was able to find Barber for seven receptions and was seemingly the only receiver to find consistent separation, which is an obvious problem as a whole but a good sign that Barber could become the team's No. 1 option through the air.

3. OC Collin Klein's play calling was questionable after Le'Veon Moss's injury

Before sustaining a knee injury in the first half vs. South Carolina, running back Le'Veon Moss was playing at an All-SEC level and by far the most trusted option in conversion opportunities, which the Aggies face on nearly every offensive possession after he went down.

While the list of lousy play calls is long, OC Collin Klein's lack of imagination to counter the Gamecock's elite defensive ends and linebackers from crashing down and stopping any running play, usually right up the middle, resulted in the Aggie offense completing shutting down in the second half after driving the field for four scores in the first.

While QB Marcel Reed wasn't the primary issue, the redshirt freshman couldn't burn the Gamecock defense with his legs, forcing him to pass and resulting in an average day in the pocket.

Depending on Moss's injury severity, adjustments need to be made during the bye week.

2. Texas A&M's penalty issues are becoming ridiculous

Throughout the season, penalties, including pointless personal fouls, have been an issue for the Aggies on both sides of the ball, but over the last two games, defensive tackle Shemar Turner has been on the wrong side on the bulk of the calls.

Against South Carolina, seven penalties resulting in 68 free yards completely changed the trajectory for the home team as the Aggies' 20-17 first-half lead slowly evaporated after multiple flags gave the Gamecock's good field position to tie things up and go on outscore Texas A&M 27-0 after halftime.

Again, it's fair to say that head coach Mike Elko and his team ran into a buzzsaw that would have resulted in nearly every SEC team losing the same game. Still, the lack of discipline has continued to hinder both the offense and defense from reaching their full potential.

1. Will QB Marcel Reed continue as the starter the rest of the season?

Marcel Reed's day in the pocket was average, but not the only reason Texas A&M was blown out on Saturday night. Finishing 18/28 for 206 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, Reed also ran for 46 yards but was unable to threaten South Carolina's defense on the ground compared to his rushing performance against LSU.

However, Reed is still a young quarterback needing to improve as a dropback passer. While this will all come in time, the young signal caller will need to learn from his mistakes, while OC Collin Klein and the wide receiver corps need to help their quarterback out.

Personally, I don't believe Mike Elko will go back to Conner Weigman as the starter simply because Reed didn't produce a win, mainly due to Reed's fit in the offense and obvious advantage as a runner.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 5 big takeaways from Texas A&M's 44-20 loss to South Carolina