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3 takeaways from Alabama barely dodging South Carolina’s mammoth upset bid
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Welcome to the new era of Alabama football.
It’s not pretty, and dare I say, it’s a bit terrifying for the Tide faithful. But on Saturday, all that mattered was bouncing back from the historic Vanderbilt loss by surviving South Carolina as a 3-touchdown favorite.
In that regard? Mission accomplished. Alabama held on for dear life to secure a 27-25 win against South Carolina after a failed Gamecocks 2-point conversion attempt with 43 seconds left and a recovered onside kick led to an interception as time expired. It was a bananas day in Tuscaloosa, to say the least. But Alabama prevailed. Somehow.
Were there big-picture issues that surfaced in a seemingly favorable matchup? Absolutely.
Here are 3 takeaways from Saturday’s thriller in Tuscaloosa:
1. Angry Alabama? Not so much.
If you were assuming that Alabama would step up and make a loud statement with a beatdown of South Carolina, well, Saturday left you wanting more. Alabama appeared to be in good shape to enter the break up 14-0 heading into the break. But 12 South Carolina points in the final 2 minutes came on a coverage bust, a safety and then bad Jalen Milroe interception that led to a gimme field goal for the Gamecocks to make it 14-12 at halftime.
Alabama allowing 19 consecutive points to blow a lead had “Vanderbilt last week” vibes, especially after South Carolina converted 5-of-6 on 3rd down in the third quarter. But Alabama got the break it needed in the form of a LaNorris Sellers turnover on a botched zone-read option. Alabama capitalized to take the lead on the short field, and then it added a late Germie Bernard touchdown on a rare South Carolina coverage bust, which allowed the Tide to balloon the lead to 27-19.
A miraculous Nyck Harbor touchdown gave the Gamecocks a chance, as did a recovered onside kick. But ultimately,
But man, protection issues plagued Alabama, as did some of Milroe’s decisions. On top of that, Alabama had 3.7 yards/carry on sack-adjusted rushes. It was by no means a clean effort from the Tide.
2. Kyle Kennard tried to put South Carolina on his back
The Gamecocks defensive end was an absolute monster for the Gamecocks. He sacked Milroe twice in the first half and ultimately finished the day with 7 tackles, 3 of which were for a loss. The SEC’s sacks leader did everything in his power to make Alabama revert back to its 2023 ways.
But it came in a losing effort because the Gamecocks couldn’t get the defensive answers they needed in the 4th quarter amidst the chaotic ending, which included a toe-tapping 31-yard touchdown grab by Nyck Harbor to make it a 27-25 game.
Still, Kennard should’ve earned himself SEC Defensive Player of the Week consideration. He was a monster part of South Carolina making that a 60-minute game on the heels of the blowout loss against Ole Miss.
3. Up next? Alabama’s O-line faces Tennessee in Knoxville
That seems … not great.
Kennard’s day suggests that Tennessee’s loaded defensive line, especially with James Pearce Jr., could be a problem for a unit that struggled mightily. It felt like last year’s group, which was a liability for most of the season. The protection breakdowns on Kennard and Co. could be an issue against a whole lot of other SEC opponents.
The good news for Alabama? It avoided disaster.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
