Everything Taurean York and Marcel Reed said after Texas A&M's 44-20 loss to South Carolina
Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) is no longer the last undefeated team in SEC play after Week 10, as the Aggies were blown out in every facet of the term on the road against South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) 44-20 after giving up 286 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Coming into the game, redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed earned his fourth start of the year after his performance against LSU the week prior. However, he struggled in the pocket, and his downfield accuracy remained an issue. South Carolina's defense most shut down the quarterback's running game outside of a couple of successful scrambles.
What hindered the offensive game was the loss of running back Le'Veon Moss early in the first half, as the junior left the field with an apparent knee injury but returned to the sidelines in street clothes, which might be a positive sign. Defensively, the Aggies were horrific against the run, mainly due to poor tackling and bad eye discipline against the quarterback option, allowing LaNorris Sellers to rush for over 100 yards.
Texas A&M will now enter the bye week with plenty of questions, but despite the loss, everything is still in front of them, tied atop the SEC at 5-1 with Georgia.
After the game, head coach Mike Elko, quarterback Marcel Reed, and linebacker Taurean York spoke to the media. Here's what both players had to say.
Taurean York on the lack of execution on defense
"I feel like after Tuesday and Wednesday, we weren't looking at LSU. We just didn't execute."
York on the Aggies' tackling issues
"Build up on course of the season. It felt like one man beat us. We weren't tackling with our technique. It starts with me."
York on moving on mentally to the bye week
"Losing always sucks… It's a long trip back to College Station. That game ended 30 minutes ago. We are onto the bye week."
York on South Carolina RB Raheim Sanders' big day
"Good player. A rising star in this league. That's their guy here in South Carolina. He excelled."
York on HC Mike Elko's message to the team
"We still have a lot of ball left."
QB Marcel Reed on when he found out he was the starter
"He told me Thursday afternoon after practice."
"I don't know what it's going to be moving forward."
Reed on his lack of running success against the Gamecock defense
"I don't think I had any opportunities to pull the ball. (South Carolina) game planned."
Reed on the Aggies' 68 penalty yards
"We have to be smarter. Coach tells us all the time that penalties can cost you the game."
Marcel Reed on what it was like playing inside Williams-Brice Stadium
"It's another field. I like playing on the road."
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Taurean York and Marcel Reed said after Texas A&M's 44-20 loss to South Carolina