Texas A&M Was Fighting More Than One Battle vs. South Carolina

The Texas A&M Aggies are still searching for a win away from Kyle Field in the 2026 season after falling short at Williams-Brice Stadium in a 17-9 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

It was a low-scoring affair, as three field goals from the cleat of kicker David Olano were enough for the Aggies to hold the lead for the most part against the Gamecocks, but South Carolina were eventually able to crawl their way back in, and just like against Alabama a couple of weeks ago, Texas A&M suffered another late loss in conference play.

And as we venture into the cooler time of year, the Maroon and White have more than just on-field play to worry about against the Gamecocks.

Texas A&M Plagued With Flu Ahead of South Carolina Meeting

During Saturday afternoon's game, ESPN play-by-play announcer Roy Philpott made mention of a flu bug that had made its way into the Texas A&M football squad and affected many key members of the team.

Those battling the illness, per Philpott, included head coach Mike Elko, running back KJ Edwards, and wide receiver Mario Craver.

While Elko suffering is simply an unfortunate turn of events for the Aggies' leader, Edwards' sickness could explain the return of Rueben Owens to the starting spot, which saw him break off for 137 yards during the contest.

Edwards himself would register 10 carries for 37 yards in the game, a noticeable distance between him and the 19 carries that Owens got.

As for Craver, he was able to put down four catches for 25 yards, and left the game for a short moment in the early stages after it seemed that a lower body injury had been re-aggravated by the former Mississippi State wideout, but he eventually returned to the game, although the flu reveal does explain his limited production as well.

As for the rest of the Texas A&M team, they were able to hold a 9-7 lead in the second half of play before the Gamecocks would boot another field goal through and then quarterback LaNorris Sellers, on one leg nonetheless, took off for a 41-yard touchdown with just over a minute to play.

Marcel Reed was able to drive the Aggies downfield with what little time remained, but his last two passes both fell incomplete to Aaron Gregory and Isaiah Horton, respectively, with the pass to Horton sailing out of bounds as the clock expired, sealing a 17-9 win for the Gamecocks, their third ever against Texas A&M.

The Aggies return to College Station for their first home game in nearly a month when they take on the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as Texas A&M Was Fighting More Than One Battle vs. South Carolina.