Tide ROLL against struggling Gamecocks
Keelon Russell is playing at an elite level as Bama dispatches South Carolina
By: Dave in Tuscaloosa
After two straight games where Alabama started slow, the Tide may have finally learned their lesson.
Two weeks ago in Lexington, Bama trailed the upstart Kentucky Wildcats at half, while last week against Florida State, the Crimson Tide found themselves trailing the Seminoles by 15 late in the second quarter. Alabama would storm back to win both games convincingly, but slow starts had become a point of concern for Kalen DeBoer’s young squad.
However, against 2-1 South Carolina, 8th-ranked Alabama weathered an early surge and rolled to an impressive 49-18 victory over the visiting Gamecocks on Saturday night. The win propelled the Crimson Tide to a 4-0 start, including a 2-0 mark in the SEC.
This win also moved Alabama up one spot in the polls to #7. On the other side, the loss added to the woes being piled on to embattled coach Shane Beamer’s squad. Despite having two of the most talented players in the conference in quarterback LaNorris Sellers and defensive end Dylan Stewart, the Gamecocks are struggling and dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
Alabama’s 4-0 start was expected; however, the way in which the Tide have gotten there is a bit of a surprise. After two average years by Alabama standards where DeBoer’s squads have finished 9-4 and 11-4, the program appears to be on the rise. Granted, Alabama did make the College Football Playoffs last year (and even won an opening-round game), and DeBoer’s record against rivals Auburn (2-0), LSU (2-0), Tennessee (1-1), and Georgia (2-1) is certainly impressive; the inconsistent nature of the Tide mixed in with three uncharacteristic blowout losses had Bama Nation on edge entering year three of the DeBoer era.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the post-Nick Saban era was a noticeable lack of intensity and physicality, especially along both lines of scrimmage. Although the season has yet to enter October, early returns on DeBoer’s third squad have been positive. The intensity and physicality that were trademarks of Saban’s teams seem to have returned, and Alabama is off to a terrific start in 2026.
Bama has an absolute stud at quarterback in sophomore Keelon Russell, who looks calm and cool in the pocket. The receiving corps was a concern coming into the season, with Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks the only returning players who had any sort of production last year. Those two combined for three touchdowns on Saturday, and a deep and talented group of receivers has emerged to complement Coleman-Williams and Brooks.
The running back room and the offensive line were much maligned in 2025 and produced program-record-low results on the ground. That is not the case in ’26, as a stable of young running backs are eating up yards behind a retooled offensive line that has been dominant. Defensively, Alabama was strong in 2025, but Kane Wommack’s unit is far better in ’26.
All these factors were on display on Saturday night against the talented but outmatched Gamecocks. Russell threw for 365 yards, missing on just six passes out of 27 attempts, and he tossed four first-half touchdown passes. For the second straight week, the young quarterback did not turn the ball over. Freshman EJ Crowell led the Tide rushers with 50 yards on six carries, and Coleman-Williams, Brooks, and sophomore tight end Kaleb Edwards led all receivers with 11 combined catches and three touchdowns.
The defense limited the dual-threat abilities of Sellers, as he passed for 185 yards and rushed for an additional 72. The Gamecocks did get off to a solid start, as tailback Matt Fuller ripped off a 56-yard run to the Alabama 19 on the first play from scrimmage. The Bama D stiffened and forced the Gamecocks into a field goal attempt, which was missed. On their second drive, South Carolina marched to the Tide's 25-yard line before the drive stalled, and the Bama D stuffed a 4th-down attempt to turn the Gamecocks away and keep them scoreless.
On the next play from scrimmage, Russell hit Brooks on a perfect 75-yard catch-and-run to open the scoring. The Bama D would force a three-and-out, and the fast start for the Crimson Tide offense continued as they would then march 70 yards in 9 plays, and on the last play of the first quarter, Russell hit Coleman-Williams in the end zone from 32 yards out to extend Alabama’s lead to 14-0. South Carolina’s first drive of the second quarter produced a 34-yard field goal that cut the Bama lead to 14-3.
Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, that’s the closest they would get.
Alabama scored the quarter’s next 21 points to blow the contest wide open. Russell would find an open Coleman-Williams on a 42-yard touchdown strike at the 7:22 mark; tight end Josh Ford made an incredible one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the end zone with 2:33 left in the quarter, and one play later, Red Morgan stepped in front of a Sellers pass and returned the interception 23 yards to the end zone to increase the lead to 35-3. Right before half, Sellers would direct a South Carolina scoring drive that was capped off by a 41-yard touchdown pass to Nyck Harbor that made the halftime score 35-10. The third quarter was sleepy as neither team was able to put points on the board. The fourth quarter started with another South Carolina score, and after a successful two-point conversion, the Bama lead was cut to 35-18 with 14:29 to go in the game. Any hope of a Gamecock rally was put to rest quickly as Russell led drives of 75 and 42 yards that both produced touchdowns to bring the final margin to 49-18.
While South Carolina will search for its first conference win of the season next Saturday at Kentucky, the Tide travels to Starkville to take on the unbeaten Mississippi State Bulldogs and their quarterback Kamario Taylor, a 230-pound dynamic sophomore playmaker who is gaining Heisman consideration. Taylor has already thrown for 14 touchdowns and is completing 69% of his passes. Jeff Lebby’s team is off to an impressive 4-0 start and is currently ranked 16th in the country.
A slow start could be hard for the Tide to overcome on the road against one of the nation’s hottest quarterbacks, but Bama fans are hopeful those days are in the Tide’s past for good.
