Alabama bounced back with a 27-25 win over South Carolina on Saturday, but it was not pretty.
The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and were controlling the game until a rough two minutes to close the half gave the underdog life. The Gamecocks used the same recipe that Vanderbilt used and controlled the clock in the second half but eventually fell short and the Crimson Tide survived.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Penalty Problems Again
It seems that Alabama has fixed the penalty problems on the offensive line but now have issues on the defensive side of the ball. Last week, defensive penalties kept the Vanderbilt drives going, and this week South Carolina had drives extended by penalties as well. On a 3rd and 21 play, Jihaad Campbell got flagged for “roughing the passer” which gave the Gamecocks an automatic first down. To Campbell’s defense, it was a soft call. As his hand came down from trying to block the pass it grazed the quarterback’s helmet. By definition it was the correct call, but any fan knows that there is no malice in these kinds of plays.
Terrible Two Minutes Before Half
Alabama had a terrible two minutes to close the half. In those final two minutes South Carolina scored 12 points to cut the Alabama lead to just two points. It started with South Carolina converting a 4th and nine with a 36-yard touchdown pass on busted coverage. On the ensuing kickoff, a personal foul penalty put the ball on the Alabama 13. On the very next play Jalen Milroe dropped back to pass and was flagged in the endzone for intentional grounding. The Gamecocks were awarded a safety as a result. Alabama had a chance to run out the half and regroup in the locker room but Kalen DeBoer decided to call timeout with 11 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Milroe threw an interception that led to a field goal from South Carolina as the half expired.
Defense Brought Pressure
The Alabama front seven looked like they used some of their built up aggression on rushing the quarterback. The Crimson Tide got home on four sacks, but they consistently gave the South Carolina offensive line a hard time. With the game on the line, Alabama dialed up pressure on consecutive plays that resulted in bad throws and quarterback scrambles short of the line to gain which kept the clock ticking.
Questionable Coaching
Yes, Alabama has an explosive offense, but coaches have to make smarter decisions. No matter how explosive of an offense you have, your chances of going 62 yards in 11 seconds when the defense knows they have to keep everything in front is slim to none. Instead of running out the half, Deboer decided he would call a timeout and give this scenario a shot. It ended in an interception leading to a South Carolina field goal. The Crimson Tide got lucky that the Gamecocks didn’t return the interception back for a touchdown.
With two minutes left in the game, Milroe connected with Germie Bernard for a 34-yard touchdown pass to put Alabama up eight. That feels like a great spot to be in, but not with Alabama’s defense this year. If Bernard goes down inbounds instead of scoring, they could have virtually run out the clock. This questionable decision is partly on the player, but coming out of the two-minute timeout, someone on the sideline has to make the players aware of the situation.
To close the game out, all Alabama had to do was recover an onside kick, and they couldn’t do that right. The “hands team” was on the field, but who is making the call on what members are on this team? Why is it not built with guys that have the best hands on the team? Instead, the ball squeaked through the arms of a tight end and a fullback before South Carolina recovered it. You would think you would see receivers, running backs and defensive backs on the field, but instead, tight ends, fullbacks and linebackers represented half of the guys on the field.
Secondary Has to Grow Up Quickly
There is no shortage of talent in the Alabama secondary, but there is a major shortage of experience. This unit is going to have to grow up quickly because they are becoming the weak link in a struggling defense. When Domani Jackson got hurt, it put the Crimson Tide in a bad spot having to take out one of the more experienced guys and insert a true freshman. Alabama’s most experienced defensive back, Malachi Moore, has had his fair share of hiccups as well. On the two-point conversion attempt to tie the game, Moore was beat, but the pressure on the quarterback forced a bad throw.
Alabama will travel to Tennessee next Saturday. Kickoff time is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on the ABC.
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