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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Jace Sternberger of Texas A & M ran to the touchline of the team, jumped and waved to cheer on fans visiting Williams-Brice Stadium.
In the end, A & M fans responded to the demand for tight junior training at the last minute of the 22-23 win over the 22nd Aggies on South Carolina. A & M had sealed its third consecutive victory in the SEC, but perhaps the concern of a frenetic finish was making fans reluctant to the celebration.
A & M survived a late recovery of the Gamecocks that ended after a failed kick. And for the third week in a row, the Aggies offense was limited to two touchdowns in regulation.
This has not yet cost A & M, but it is possible that the Aggies (5-2, 3-1) will continue their progress in the conference. Even a late touchdown that has proven vital has failed to soothe the frustration of A & M coach Jimbo Fisher over the lack of points.
"That's not a problem until it's a problem," Fisher said of the lack of touchdowns. "We have to fix that."
Fisher may have indicated that this could be a problem later in the season. But the impossibility of ending the discs in the end zone is the reason South Carolina (3-3, 2-3) trailed home.
A & M led 16-0 before the Gamecocks regained their offensive pace. South Carolina used two discs at the end of the third quarter to turn an A & M fugue into another tight finish.
Only two of the five discs in A & M's red zone ended in touchdowns. Another possession in the second quarter was 5 yards off the South Carolina 20-yard line and ended in a missed attempt.
Fortunately for the Aggies, first-year backup kicker Seth Small saved points from most of those records. Small made four of five field goals, including a 52-yard effort, which has had three consecutive missed passes in the past two weeks.
"It's a very important factor," said A & M quarterback Kellen Mond. "When we enter the red zone, we want to make sure to score seven points on the board instead of three."
Even though the offensive was not at its best, it was an important match, especially for Mond. As South Carolina's defense sold to stop the race and forced A & M to be effective through the air, Mond made the shots needed to move the offensive.
He had 25 of 37 passes for 353 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. After Mond had established a connection with Sternberger, he settled into a groove. The majority of the quarterback's passes (303) came after the first quarter, with 145 of his passes.
Fisher said Mond was "outstanding" and praised his growth and maturity in key moments, including a touchdown in the red zone with 1:36 to go which gave the Aggies a 26-16 lead.
If they had arranged to score a goal on this record, the Aggies could not have resisted a touchdown from South Carolina with 48 seconds to play, which created some concern late in the game for A & M fans
Sternberger said that the offensive knew that she should have capitalized on her first trips to the Gamecocks territory, which ended in goals, but the offensive continued to tell each other that she needed to surpass herself.
The tight end said that there was another hurdle that the team had to overcome. Throughout the week, players were informed of the inability of previous teams to capitalize on a strong start to the season.
"We took this personal impression this week, which allowed us to overcome this bump," said Sternberger. "We were able to show that today."
In the A & M series of three consecutive wins in the SEC, the Aggies scored just enough points to win. A & M's margin of victory was less than seven points in all these competitions.
If A & M can get the ball more often in the end zone, the Aggies will not be so tired later in the season. After the match, several players rushed into the locker room before remembering the "War Hymn" celebration, which did not take place after the defeats.
Landis Durham, A & M's defensive end, said: "Our score was better than theirs, so it's a win."
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