It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the No. 22 Aggies followed up their win against No. 13 Kentucky last week, with a 26-23 win over South Carolina. The win lifts the Aggies to 5-2 heading into their bye week.

Here are three takeaways from the game that came down to the wire.

Mond- Sternberger connection makes up for poor rushing day

The daunting South Carolina defensive line won the battle in the trenches against Texas A&M’s offensive line and was able to stall the Aggies' rushing attack. Trayveon Williams finished with 78 rushing yards — his lowest total this season against teams not named Alabama or Clemson.

The Aggies leaned on their passing game to beat the Gamecocks, and they came through. Quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 353 yards — his second-highest total this season — and found junior Jace Sternberger most often. Sternberger had seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks. The big day gave the tight end his sixth touchdown of the season, the most in for a tight end in a single season in A&M history. The duo connected on nearly every type of throw, including a 53-yard bomb in which Sternberger dragged a Gamecock defender nearly 25 yards.

Aggies shut down Jake Bentley

South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley had a tough time moving the chains against the Aggies completing just 17 of his 35 passes. The majority of Bentley’s struggles came in the second half as the signal-caller threw for just 46 yards prior to the intermission.

Bentley’s performance was in part due to the Aggies’ ability to lock down their receivers in the secondary but also due to the maroon and white’s ability to put him under pressure. Bentley had limited mobility while still nursing a knee injury that kept him out of last week’s game against Mizzou. The Aggies were also able to get just their third turnover all season when defensive back Charles Oliver picked off Bentley in the end zone.

Texas A&M works the clock

The Aggie defense was stout against the Gamecocks. Perhaps the biggest reason for that was that they didn’t have to be on the field very much. The Texas A&M offense took its time, waiting until the play clock was under three seconds before virtually every snap That, in tandem with the Aggies getting quick stops against the Gamecocks, kept the A&M defense sidelined for the majority of the game.

The unit was on the field for just 18:31 and held the Gamecocks to just 53 offensive snaps. Jimbo Fisher's reliance on the running game was a big factor in the milking of the clock as the Aggies ran the ball 40 times in the game. 

Looking Ahead

Through seven games, the Aggies have looked like the third best team in the SEC West. A&M will now have a much-needed bye week before starting a grueling post-bye week schedule starting with Mississippi State on Oct. 27.