No. 10 Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) was handled by South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) 44-20 on the road, resulting in the Aggies' first SEC loss of the season.

The SEC is truly an extremely competitive week-to-week league. There are no "trap" games in this league; you line up, and the better team each week wins. Saturday night, the Gamecocks punched A&M in the mouth, running away from the Aggies in a statement win for their 2024 season.

Head coach Mike Elko's defense style was not played, plagued by untimely penalties and a lack of toughness. However, the most unforgivable thing had to be the poor tackling of the entire game. The defense was called perfectly several times, but the defender missed the sack, or there was a defensive penalty.

Offensively, they looked like the team that stepped onto the field against Notre Dame to start the season. Redshirt quarterback Marcel Reed got the start; however, the spark from his three-touchdown comeback win over LSU was non-existent. They couldn't push the ball downfield, the running game stagnated with the loss of running back Le'Veon Moss in the first half, and Reed had two costly turnovers.

It was not a good night in the office for the coaching staff or the players, who dropped a tough game before the second bye week of the season. This loss is not season-ending by any means, but the Aggies will need to win out to have a chance at the SEC title game and a college football playoff spot.

Going into their second bye week, the Aggies' next game is at home against New Mexico State on Nov. 16 at Kyle Field in Bryan-College Station, TX.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Instant reactions to No. 10 Texas A&M's blowout 44-20 loss to South Carolina