No. 7 Alabama and first-year coach Kalen DeBoer averted a second loss in as many weeks Saturday, hanging on in opposition to unranked South Carolina at house 27-25.
Alabama nonetheless hasn’t misplaced back-to-back regular-season video games for the reason that 2007 season, Nick Saban’s first 12 months as head coach of the Crimson Tide, however the Gamecocks had an opportunity till the ultimate seconds Saturday after recovering an onside kick and led within the fourth quarter.
Alabama entered Saturday’s recreation as a 21.5-point favourite, one week after shedding at Vanderbilt as a 23.5-point favourite.
“One other recreation all the way down to the wire, we’re kinda getting accustomed to these,” DeBoer stated. “There’s issues that we are able to actually do to ensure that doesn’t get to that time, however we all the time discuss discovering a strategy to win. And as many instances it regarded like we weren’t, we did. I’m happy with the response.”
Ought to the sport have gotten to the purpose the place South Carolina even had the possibility to come back again? On the two-minute mark and on third-and0-10, quarterback Jalen Milroe discovered receiver Germie Bernard on a busted protection that resulted in a 34-yard landing that prolonged Alabama’s result in 27-19. A superb play name that yielded a optimistic consequence, however South Carolina didn’t have any timeouts left. Had Bernard stopped in need of the objective line, the offense might’ve salted the sport away on QB kneels.
Proper on the 🤑@JalenMilroe ▶️@oti_germie
📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/sR0CyejO3O
— Alabama Soccer (@AlabamaFTBL) October 12, 2024
“We known as the play and simply executed the play,” Bernard stated. “They didn’t say something about getting all the way down to me, so I simply went in and scored a landing. … Now that I do know, I’ll have that at the back of my thoughts to try this subsequent time. Hopefully we’re not in that scenario anymore.”
A couple of minutes later, cornerback Domani Jackson’s interception with just a few seconds left sealed the sport for Alabama however virtually put the lead to a harmful spot. Jackson intercepted the cross, and his momentum carried him into the top zone. He was setting as much as take a knee, however Malachi Moore motioned for him to run it out to keep away from the possibility for a security name. Maybe Jackson wouldn’t have been flagged due to the ahead momentum rule, however maybe not. That in itself is a snapshot of the previous three video games for Alabama and the curler coaster it’s been to get to 5-1 general and 2-1 in convention play.
Domani Jackson Known as GAME🐘
— PFF School (@PFF_College) October 12, 2024
All-World Heads-Up Staff member Malachi Moore telling Domani Jackson to not kneel a security there … my goodness.
Saved Alabama the sport.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) October 12, 2024
“These are simply issues that we gotta proceed to study from,” DeBoer stated.
Is that this Alabama squad even constructed to win within the Playoff?
So, is that this Alabama staff even constructed to make noise if it makes the 12-team Playoff? Saban’s finest groups didn’t get dominated up entrance the best way South Carolina dealt with the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Alabama averaged a measly 2.7 yards per carry, and SEC sack chief Kyle Kennard and five-star freshman Dylan Stewart had Milroe seeing ghosts. Stewart had two of South Carolina’s 4 sacks and three of the staff’s 9 tackles for loss.
The sacks weren’t shocking. The Crimson Tide allowed 3.5 per recreation final 12 months with Milroe at quarterback. Nevertheless it’s a troubling signal the working recreation was shut down and Milroe was beneath as a lot duress as he was. Alabama’s offensive line got here into Saturday’s recreation grading out as a mediocre energy convention unit in keeping with Professional Soccer Focus, liable for 4 sacks and 29 quarterback pressures allowed by means of the staff’s first 5 video games. 4 of the staff’s eight sacks allowed had been blamed on Milroe. There are harder opponents with wonderful cross rush items forward on the schedule. — Manny Navarro
Bama struggles once more however finds a means
Milroe performed his worst recreation of the season however discovered a means late to assist push Alabama excessive. He threw an finish zone interception with 12:17 left, just for the protection to provide him the ball proper again one play later. The consequence: a three-play, 31-yard landing drive culminating in a Milroe landing run from 7-yards out to provide Alabama a 20-19 lead. A number of minutes later, he discovered Bernard for the aforementioned landing.
For Milroe personally, his two dashing touchdowns brings his season complete to 12 in solely six video games. The Alabama single season report is 13, which was set by Jalen Hurts in 2016.
“Greatest power (on offense proper now): psychological toughness,” Milroe stated. “(We’re) ending regardless of something that goes on within the recreation. That’s essential above expertise. Now we have a board that reads TNT — Takes No Expertise. That’s one thing that we attempt to have — psychological toughness, grind, refine and compete as a lot as doable.”
Alabama followers collectively exhaled in reduction as the sport ended, however grind is an acceptable phrase to explain how Alabama received the sport. It wasn’t fairly, and the Tide have continued to point out how small the staff’s margin for error is in SEC play.
Saturday’s recreation produced a close to dead-even consequence throughout the board: complete yards (South Carolina: 374, Alabama: 313), first downs (South Carolina: 23, Alabama: 20), time of possession (South Carolina: 31:40, Alabama: 28:20), amongst different issues.
And now Alabama faces one other huge take a look at in heading to Tennessee. Each groups have one loss, an unpleasant loss, in opposition to an unranked opponent. It’s a possible SEC championship elimination recreation, and whichever staff loses can be on the Playoff bubble. On the brilliant aspect, the expanded Playoff permits for extra margin of error, nevertheless, Alabama’s current outcomes received’t assist in the eyes of the committee. The Tide received and can keep their rating, however the eye take a look at signifies that it is a staff that’s not trending upwards. However from a psyche perspective, overcoming final week’s loss and discovering a strategy to win on Saturday begins this upcoming week on a optimistic notice.
“We discuss on a regular basis about the way it’s laborious to win the SEC,” working again Justice Haynes stated. “And we took care of it right now. That’s all we are able to ask for. Take a look at the movie, see the place we have to enhance on however a win is a win. We’re by no means going to take that without any consideration.” — Kennington Smith III
An inexplicable finish to the primary half put Alabama in peril
Up 14-0, freshman Jaylen Mbakwe made a formidable open-field sort out on third-and-8 with 1:40 remaining within the first half to arrange a South Carolina fourth down. At that time, it regarded like Alabama had the momentum. Then a sequence of pricey errors turned the sport on its head.
South Carolina took benefit of an Alabama blown protection to attain a 36-yard landing on fourth-and-9 to chop the deficit to 14-7. Getting into Saturday, Alabama’s protection allowed a 73 % fourth-down conversion price, 112th nationally. A sequence of miscues led to an interception by Milroe, which was returned contained in the Alabama pink zone. A brief discipline objective gave South Carolina 12 unanswered factors and minimize its halftime deficit to 14-12. — Smith
Alabama’s protection is in determined want of solutions
South Carolina opened the third quarter with a 16-play, 85-yard landing drive that took up 8:40 of recreation clock. What’s extra regarding for the Tide within that drive: The Gamecocks transformed 4-of-4 on third downs after going 0-for-5 within the first half. Alabama allowed just one 16-play landing drive from 2014-2023. It has allowed three of these drives this season alone.
Third- and fourth-down protection have turn into more and more worrisome. Over the previous 10 quarters, Alabama has allowed a 47.7 % third-down conversion price. South Carolina’s first landing got here on a fourth-down play.
“I feel these final two offenses we confronted are extra constructed to have drives that proceed to have performs stack on prime of one another,” DeBoer stated. “Clearly it’s irritating after they can put 5 third downs collectively and then you definately begin carrying in your protection. They’re on the market a very long time, and the longer the drive occurs, the higher probability they’ve of scoring.”
Some preseason personnel questions on this unit arose on Saturday. It’s recognized that the secondary is skinny and inexperienced. Beginning cornerback Domani Jackson went down with an damage within the second quarter, and 4 true freshmen noticed snaps by means of the primary half: Mbakwe, Zabien Brown, Zay Mincey and Purple Morgan. The inexperience damage Alabama on that fourth-down landing cross the place Mincey was out of place. Fortuitously for Alabama, Jackson returned and made an affect.
The win however, Alabama’s protection is trying to find solutions in opposition to SEC offenses. Over the previous 10 quarters, Alabama’s protection has allowed 77 factors and 1,136 yards. Kane Wommack’s protection was dominant within the first half in opposition to Georgia, however the previous few weeks have proven a unit that’s constantly been out of kinds between the scheme and an absence of participant execution.
“We’re very assured,” veteran Tim Smith stated of gamers’ religion within the scheme. “However now we have a very younger staff, so it’s similar to ensuring our backups are simply as robust as our starters and ensuring we do what we have to do to execute.”
Nonetheless, the protection does deserve credit score for well timed performs that stifled South Carolina from breaking the sport open. The unit pressured 4 turnovers and stopped South Carolina from taking the lead halfway by means of the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks had been driving down 20-19, along with just a few clutch late recreation stops. However the general tendencies are regarding forward of subsequent week’s recreation at Tennessee. The Crimson Tide survived on Saturday, however there’s a ton of labor to do to achieve their targets of the SEC Championship Sport and Playoff. — Smith
(Photograph of Kalen DeBoer: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Pictures)