South Carolina v Texas A&M
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No. 3 Texas A&M mounted a comeback for the ages, stunning South Carolina 31-30 at Kyle Field. The Aggies erased a 27-point halftime deficit with a furious second-half surge to stay alive in the SEC title race.

The rally stands as the largest comeback in program history, surpassing the 21-point rally engineered by Johnny Manziel in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl. A&M needed every bit of quarterback Marcel Reed's brilliance to close it out, leaning on its dynamic passer after a shaky first half.

Here's how Texas A&M pulled off a historic win over South Carolina, preserved its undefeated season and secured its first 10-win campaign since Manziel's Heisman year in 2012.

Nightmare finish to the half

The Aggies couldn't have scripted a worse first half. Texas A&M missed two field goals, surrendered a defensive touchdown on a disastrous play-extension attempt by Reed and threw an interception in the end zone. But for all the early miscues, the final sequence before halftime felt like the dagger.

A&M took over with 1:06 left in the half and a chance to steal some momentum. The Aggies drove into the red zone trailing 20-3, but Reed floated a pass into the end zone that was intercepted. One play later, LaNorris Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for a swift 80-yard touchdown.

All the Aggies had to do was get into halftime. Instead, Reed dropped back twice, ultimately throwing a second interception to Vicari Swain in three plays. South Carolina turned it into a field goal and a 30-3 lead. 

SEC teams were winless against opponents after going down by 27 points since 2004. 

Elko's gamble

Texas A&M mercifully got the ball to start the second half and pushed toward midfield. After a holding call on tackle Dametrious Crownover, the drive looked dead. Facing 4th-and-12 near midfield, coach Mike Elko rolled the dice.

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein made a gutsy call, dialing up a quarterback draw for his dual-threat passer. Reed recognized a delayed blitz and ripped off a 16-yard run through the heart of the defense to keep the drive alive.

South Carolina was flagged for an illegal substitution on the next play, and Reed capitalized with a 27-yard touchdown strike to freshman Izaiah Williams. The Aggies were finally on the board.

South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 10

Fourth down stop

South Carolina was shaken after the decisive drive to start the second half, but had a chance to settle in. Sellers connected on a 25-yard pass to brother Jayden Sellers to get the offense moving and added another 14-yard run to spur a drive into Texas A&M territory. 

Facing 4th-and-1 at the Texas A&M 30-yard line, coach Shane Beamer opted to take a chance of his own. Instead of leaning on his hulking quarterback, interim offensive coordinator Mike Furrey called a handoff to running back Matt Fuller. Texas A&M stuffed them. 

Bethel-Roman explodes

Texas A&M receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman has played a secondary role behind breakout targets Mario Craver and KC Concepcion. But when his number was called, the redshirt freshman was ready for his close-up.

After the fourth-down stop, the Aggies methodically moved into plus territory. Reed looked up and found Bethel-Roman breaking free for a 39-yard touchdown -- the second-longest play of his career.

After forcing another three-and-out from the South Carolina offense, Bethel-Roman pulled off the longest play of his career. Bethel-Roman took a curl, put his foot into the dirt and broke away for a 76-yard gain through the middle of the South Carolina defense. One play later, Reed found Nate Boerkircher -- of Notre Dame game-winning fame -- for a 14-yard touchdown. Suddenly, this game was wide open. 

South Carolina 30, Texas A&M 24

PI call keys 99-yard drive

By this point, South Carolina was in full meltdown mode. Jayden Sellers managed a rare second-half first down, but the Gamecocks still had to punt. Mason Love then flipped the field with a sensational punt downed at the 1-yard line, giving South Carolina a golden opportunity to seize momentum.

Instead, a ticky-tack pass interference call on Judge Collier gave the Aggies breathing room. With space to operate, A&M marched down the field. A 25-yard touchdown run was wiped out by a holding call on Chase Bisontis, but it didn't matter — Reed hit Concepcion for a 31-yard strike to set up a 4-yard touchdown run by E.J. Smith.

Suddenly, the Aggies were on top for the first time all afternoon.

Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30

Defense finishes job

Down only one point, South Carolina had opportunities to get back into the game. But by this point, Seller and the Gamecocks' offense were seeing ghosts. 

Sellers was sacked on consecutive plays midway through the fourth quarter, forcing them to hand the ball right back to Texas A&M. They got a significant break when a backwards pass by Reed prevented another score, giving South Carolina one last chance with three minutes remaining. 

There were a few flashes, including an 18-yard pass to Harbor to push towards midfield. But then, the Aggies locked in. Sellers was again sacked on consecutive plays and forced out of the pocket on 4th-and-16 to run harmlessly for a turnover on downs to end the game. 

Historically important victory

Texas A&M entered the matchup against South Carolina as heavy favorites, but that doesn't make the moment any less significant. The Aggies stayed undefeated, reaching 10-0 for the first time since 1992. The win also virtually locks in a College Football Playoff berth and keeps their SEC title hopes alive.

More importantly, Texas A&M proved its championship mettle. The program hasn't won 10 games since 2012 or captured a conference title since 1998. Unlike so many teams before in College Station, this one stayed mentally strong and rose to the occasion.

There are still questions to address, but they are fixable. For South Carolina and coach Shane Beamer, though, this loss — and the slide out of bowl eligibility -- may be a setback the staff can't easily recover from.