The Sports Xchange
Oct 31, 2015
Texas A&M true freshman quarterback Kyler Murray accounted for 379 yards in his first career start as the Aggies snapped a two-game skid by holding off South Carolina 35-28 Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Murray ran for a team-high 156 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and he completed 20 of 28 passes for 223 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. The five-star recruit won a three-way practice competition last week and replaced sophomore Kyle Allen, who had started 12 consecutive games, dating to last season.
A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC) came up with a defensive stand after South Carolina took over at its 20 with 1:28 left. Safety Donovan Wilson, who earlier returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown, intercepted quarterback Perry Orth on fourth-and-13 to seal the victory.
South Carolina (3-5, 1-5) fell to 1-1 under interim head coach Shawn Elliott.
Orth was 15 of 24 for 192 yards, and he had a 66-yard run to set up a touchdown in the first half, which ended in a 21-21 tie.
Murray gave A&M a 28-21 lead when he kept around left end on an option play on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1 with 5:58 to go in the third quarter. Wilson stepped in front of slant pass and returned it for a score on the ensuing possession.
South Carolina responded with a 75-yard drive, capped by a 33-yard run by running back Brandon Wilds, who kept the ball on a fake reverse. Wilds rushed 17 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texas A&M defense held the Gamecocks scoreless on their three fourth-quarter possessions.
South Carolina was playing its first game at Texas A&M and made its first trip into Texas since 1976.