Local Teams

Kellen Mond threw for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth Saturday night as No. 7 Texas A&M looked every bit the part of a top 10 team, routing South Carolina 48-3 in an SEC matchup in Columbia, S.C.

Mond completed 16 of 26 passes for 224 yards, setting a school record with his 68th career touchdown pass, as the Aggies (5-1) won their fourth straight.

Isaiah Spiller added 131 yards on 18 rushes before leaving less than a minute into the third quarter with a leg injury that isn't expected to keep him out next week.

The ability to run or throw at will enabled Texas A&M to control the ball for 38:21. So did a defense that stifled almost everything the Gamecocks tried, limiting them to 150 total yards and nine first downs.

Buffeted by a good pass rush and a receiving corps that dropped four passes, Collin Hill completed just 8 of 21 passes for 66 yards and tossed two interceptions for South Carolina (2-4). He was lifted in the fourth quarter for Ryan Hilinski, who led the offense to a 48-yard field goal by Parker White with 5:55 left that enabled the Gamecocks to avoid the shutout.

Mond flipped a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ainias Smith at the 4:04 mark of the first quarter to open the scoring. He hooked up with Jalen Wydermyer twice in the second quarter for 15 and 7 yards. The latter occurred with 14 seconds remaining, making it 21-0 at halftime.

Any hopes of a South Carolina rally died quickly in the third quarter. Mond capped a 75-yard drive to open the half, darting 15 yards on a quarterback draw for a 28-0 advantage with 11:04 left.

He made it 34-0 just over four minutes later, hitting Devon Achane with a 52-yard touchdown pass.

The Aggies added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Achane scored on a 3-yard run, and backup quarterback Haynes King found Max Wright on a 42-yard pass-and-run touchdown.

--Field Level Media