Alabama was on the verge of suffering its second straight upset loss in the Southeastern Conference.
The Crimson Tide made it through this time, albeit narrowly.
No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) gave South Carolina a last-ditch opportunity when they mishandled an onside kick recovery, but Domani Jackson intercepted LaNorris Sellers with seconds remaining, allowing the Tide to win 27-25.
A week before to falling 40-35 to Vanderbilt, Alabama had defeated then-No. 2 Georgia 41-34, making it their third straight game that went all the way to the wire.
Coach Kalen DeBoer of the Tide stated, “Another game down to the wire.” We’re starting to grow used to those. We can take a few steps to ensure that it doesn’t reach that stage. However, we always discuss how to come out on top. Even if it appeared that we weren’t, we were.
Sellers found Nyck Harbor for a 31-yard touchdown with 43 seconds left, but the Gamecocks (3-2, 1-3) were unable to convert their two-point try. They recovered the next onside kick, but with 13 seconds left, Jackson intercepted Sellers’ desperate throw toward the end zone near the goal line.
Shane Beamer, the coach of South Carolina, stated, “We expected to win this game.” We were playing Alabama close, so nobody was doing cartwheels in here at halftime. Given that we have a strong football team, we anticipated that. This meeting makes life really difficult.
Alabama overcame the scare thanks to touchdowns from Jalen Milroe on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter and a late 34-yard pass from Germie Bernard. They didn’t quite pull off the decisive comeback victory they had hoped for.
Tim Smith, an Alabama defensive lineman, stated, “It’s not the ‘W’ that we wanted.” “A ‘W’ is a ‘W,’ man, but it should have been much more dominating and physical.”
In a game where he was intercepted twice and called for intentional grounding on a sack in the end zone for a safety, Milroe came through when it mattered most. With 1:54 remaining on a 10-play drive, he found Bernard downfield on a third-and-10 situation with no defender in the area.
DeBoer stated, “I think that they were aggressive in trying to play a lot of those safe avenues and things that we discussed on that play.” “Jalen saw the deeper route, and I love that.”
Milroe completed 16 of 23 passes for 209 yards, two touchdowns came through the air, and a touchdown. Sellers had the last pick and finished 23 of 31 for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
With a chance to recover, the Gamecocks held the advantage going into the fourth quarter. However, Alex Herrera’s attempt at a career-long 51-yard field goal was unsuccessful.
With 10:42 remaining, Milroe capitalized on a blunder by Sellers with a 7-yard touchdown run; however, the two-point pass was incomplete, making the score 20-19.
Like against Vandy and Georgia, he was reduced to cheerleader at the end when the defense was on the field.
“Teamwork is a fantastic example of finding a way to support each other and everyone on the field when we talk about it,” Milroe added.
A string of great plays by South Carolina and mistakes by the Tide reduced Alabama’s 14-0 advantage to two points in the last 1:37 before halftime. Along with both team’s turnovers and the safety, there was also Sellers’ fourth-and-9 ball to an open Mazeo Bennett Jr. that resulted in a 36-yard touchdown.
Beamer remarked, “Our guys just kept hanging in there despite some crazy stuff.”
The lesson learned
South Carolina: Sellers outperformed Milroe for the most of the Gamecocks’ 27-3 home loss to No. 9 Mississippi, but they still managed to turn things around.
Alabama: The season seems different now after that impressive first half and victory over Georgia. However, similar to that match, the Tide held on.
Implications for polls
Even with the victory, Alabama might drop in the rankings.
Next up
South Carolina: On Saturday, October 19, at No. 18 Oklahoma.
Alabama: On Saturday, October 19, against No. 8 Tennessee.