Tide survive scare at South Carolina
After mowing through four ranked teams, Alabama got all they could handle at Williams-Brice
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
Sometimes, it’s not pretty, but a win is a win in the ultracompetitive SEC.
In a game that tested the mettle of fourth-ranked Alabama, the Crimson Tide survived a test from the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks and came out on top 29-22 on Saturday afternoon in Columbia. After going unscathed during a four-week stretch that saw the Tide take down four ranked SEC opponents, Alabama played tired, uninspired ball for stretches of the contest, yet made enough key plays down the stretch to rally from an eight-point 4th quarter deficit to steal a win from the jaws of defeat.
It was the largest 4th quarter comeback for the Tide since 2021, when a Bryce Young-led Alabama squad rallied from 10 down to defeat Auburn. The victory kept the 7-1 Tide unbeaten in conference play.
It was an ugly performance and an afternoon where Alabama did not show their best. However, good teams find a way to win, and this one was a gritty victory that may end up being one of the more important wins for coach Kalen DeBoer in his young Alabama tenure.
Offseason chatter about how the 2024 Tide slipped twice (three, if you include the bowl loss to Michigan) on the road against overmatched and unranked opponents was loud, and for most of the second half against South Carolina, it looked like the narrative was going to be repeated. Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks entered the season with high expectations, yet they have not lived up to the hype of being a playoff contender.
Entering the tussle with the Tide with an overall record of 3-4 and 1-4 in SEC play, South Carolina played inspired ball behind their talented quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, and controlled much of the first half. However, despite controlling the ball for more than twenty minutes in the opening half, the Gamecocks could muster only two field goals and found themselves trailing at half 14-6. The score was misleading, as Alabama’s usually potent offense struggled throughout the half, producing one touchdown drive.
The other Tide touchdown came on the back of an early bobbled Gamecock pass that ended up in the arms of Bama’s DaShawn Jones for an 18-yard pick-six. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s offense, led by coordinator Mike Shula, who not only played quarterback for the Tide in the 80s but was also Bama’s head coach in the early 2000s, and who will forever be known as the guy who preceded Nick Saban, began the second half hitting on all cylinders. Indeed, with 10 minutes left in the contest, a raucous South Carolina home crowd was feeling the upset vibes as their Gamecocks led 22-14 and had all of the momentum.
Yet, as championship teams do, the Tide left their best for last and played stellar ball down the stretch, outscoring South Carolina 15-0 during the game’s final three minutes to steal the win. Bama quarterback Ty Simpson was off on Saturday, yet offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called a masterful 4th quarter that included safe short passes in the flat that proved to be effective. On the day, Simpson would for the first time this season be plagued by inaccurate passes and numerous drops by receivers, and he completed 24 of 43 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Germie Bernard was the offensive hero of the contest, scoring two touchdowns in the 4th quarter.
The Bama running back room is stacked with talent, yet the ground game continues to struggle, and on Saturday, gained only 72 yards on 23 carries. Meanwhile, Sellers went 18 of 32 for 222 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and he was South Carolina’s leading rusher, picking up 67 yards on the ground while adding a score. Yet he did have a crucial fumble late in the 4th quarter that would prove to be the difference in the game.
South Carolina won the toss and elected to receive. They marched down the field, yet stalled at the Tide six-yard line and settled for a William Joyce 24-yard field goal to open the scoring. On their first possession, Bama went three-and-out yet would take a 7-3 lead on the first play of the Gamecocks next possession on Jones’ pick-six. Alabama’s early offensive struggles continued on their next possession, as Simpson fumbled at the South Carolina 42. The Gamecocks next drive stalled again, this time at the Tide 16, and when Joyce hit his second field goal of the game from 34 yards out, Bama led 7-6 with 4:32 left in the half. Bama’s offense would come alive on their next drive, as the Tide marched 81 yards on nine plays that ended with a Simpson to tight end Josh Cuevas touchdown pass from three yards out on 4th down to increase the Bama lead to 14-6 at the half.
Bama’s first drive of the second half looked promising, yet a drop by Ryan Williams on a 4th & 1 gave South Carolina the ball at their own 46. On the next play, Sellers hit Nyck Harbor from 54 yards out, and after a failed two-point conversion, Bama led 14-12. Bama’s next two drives would result in uncharacteristic three-and-outs, and after Joyce hit his third field goal of the day, this time from 47 yards out, South Carolina had its first lead of the day, 15-14 at the 1:38 mark of the 3rd quarter.
Bama’s offense would continue to struggle, and after their third straight three-and-out, all the momentum was on the side of the Gamecocks. The Tide defense stiffened and forced South Carolina to punt; however, after the punt hit Bama’s Jaylen Mbakwe, the Gamecocks recovered on the Tide 30. When Sellers scored from 10 yards out, South Carolina led 22-14 with 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
Champions step up and make plays when needed, and that is exactly what Simpson and company did. Bama would take the ensuing kickoff and march 79 yards on 14 plays that ended with a four-yard Simpson to Bernard touchdown pass. A successful two-point conversion pass to Cuevas tied the game at 22 with 2:16 left to play.
When South Carolina took over at its own 30, the Gamecock student section sensed the upset would occur and began to make their way down to the field for a possible post-game rush. However, two plays later, their hopes would take a serious hit when Bama senior linebacker Deontae Lawson stripped Sellers of the ball and the Tide recovered at the South Carolina 36 with 1:39 left in the contest. Five plays later, Bernard scored from 25 yards out on a direct snap keeper to give Bama a 29-22 lead. A Keon Keeley sack of Sellers on the Gamecock 12 ended the contest and, to the disappointment of the Gamecock faithful, put to rest all hopes of a South Carolina upset.
On the day, South Carolina would outgain the Tide 333 yards to 325. They would convert 6/17 third-down attempts to the Tide’s 8/16. Both teams committed two turnovers. The Tide now enters a bye week at the perfect time, as a deep breath after a highly successful and taxing five-game stretch is needed. On the other side of the bye week includes home games against a struggling 5-3 LSU Tiger squad and a revenge game against 6-2 Oklahoma, who just fell to Ole Miss. Eastern Illinois also visits Tuscaloosa before Bama ends the regular season on the Plains against 4-4 Auburn.
Alabama will be favored in all four contests, and a successful run would lead to a trip to Atlanta for the SEC title game and a berth in the College Football Playoffs. As the South Carolina game attests, this is a different Bama team compared to last year’s 9-4 squad. Whether DeBoer and the Tide have made the strides necessary to return to national title contention is yet to be seen; however, if the last five games are any indication, signs of that happening are very positive indeed.
