Alabama vs. South Carolina score, takeaways: Crimson Tide avoid disaster, survive last gasp by Gamecocks

Domani Jackson intercepted South Carolina QB LaNoris Sellers in the end zone to finally clinch the Crimson Tide's much-needed win.

A week after it was shocked by Vanderbilt, No. 7 Alabama avoided another disastrous upset loss Saturday afternoon, as the Crimson Tide rode a late surge to secure a 27-25 win against South Carolina. Alabama scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, after blowing an early 14-0 lead, to avoid consecutive losses and advance to 2-1 in SEC play under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. 

South Carolina had a chance to tie it late, following a beautiful 31-yard touchdown catch from wide receiver Nyck Harbor. But on the ensuing 2-point conversion, quarterback LaNorris Sellers overthrew an open Vandrevius Jacobs in the back of the end zone. 

That wasn't the end. South Carolina tried an onside kick after its late touchdown and hopped on the ball after it bounced out of the hands of two Alabama players. Instead of playing for the field goal, Sellers tossed a ball deep downfield that was intercepted by Alabama cornerback Domani Jackson -- who exited the game earlier with an apparent abdominal injury, and who got beat on Harbor's touchdown catch -- to finally slam the door on South Carolina's hopes. 

Alabama's defense was far from perfect, but -- as evidenced by Jackson's interception -- it did a good job of answering the bell and coming up with timely stops. After Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw an end-zone interception in near the start of the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide's defense jumped on a Sellers fumble deep in South Carolina territory. 

Four plays later, Milroe scored a seven-yard rushing touchdown to give the Crimson Tide a 20-19 lead. Alabama then forced South Carolina into a hopeless 51-yard field goal on the next drive, and the Crimson Tide took advantage of that by scoring a second consecutive touchdown. Prior to the Harbor touchdown, Alabama held South Carolina scoreless for over 20 minutes.

• Alabama has now won 80 straight home games against unranked teams, the longest such streak in 30 years. 
• Alabama avoided losing consecutive regular season games for the first time since 2007, and also avoided becoming the first team since 1997 Texas Tech to lose twice as a 20-plus point favorite in the same season.
• South Carolina had three opportunities to either re-take the lead or tie the game in the last 10 minutes. Those drives ended in: a missed field goal, a failed two-point conversion and an interception. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 4:03 pm ET · Will Backus]

South Carolina's defensive line is legit 

There's at least one positive takeaway for the Gamecocks. There's plenty of frustration with how Shane Beamer managed the end of the game, and deservedly so, but that defensive line is good enough to win South Carolina some games. It's certainly been good enough to keep the Gamecocks competitive against major opponents. 

It faced its biggest test yet Saturday, going against Alabama's staunch offensive line, and passed with flying colors. Edge rusher Kyle Kennard flashed all game with his two sacks and three tackles for loss. Beyond the stat sheet, though, he was a consistent presence in Alabama's backfield and demanded special attention on almost every drive. 

Freshman phenom Dylan Stewart didn't enter the stat sheet, but he was in on disrupting some plays. Then the interior of South Carolina's defensive line held up against a dangerous Alabama rushing attack very well. The Crimson Tide were held to just 104 yards on 38 carries for a season-low 2.7 yards per carry. Quarterback Jalen Milroe had 36 of those yards, as Alabama running backs Justice Haynes and Jam Miller combined for 68 yards on 20 carries. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:58 pm ET · Will Backus]

Jalen Milroe not perfect, but he is what Alabama needs 

Lulls aside, Jalen Milroe is the exact type of player that can save Alabama when it isn't playing its best football. He didn't have a great game against South Carolina. His end zone interception near the start of the fourth quarter gave South Carolina a chance to stomp on Alabama's neck (that the Gamecocks politely declined by literally fumbling the opportunity away) and he missed on some throws. 

But his late surge dragged Alabama's offense out of the quagmire. He was locked in after the fourth-quarter interception, using both his legs and his arm to make some key plays. His 7-yard touchdown run after South Carolina's fumble gave the Crimson Tide their first lead since the start of the third quarter. 

On Alabama's last touchdown, he converted on two second-and-longs to keep the possession alive. Then, on third-and-10 deep in South Carolina territory, he stood in the pocket and delivered a 34-yard strike to Germie Bernard for the decisive score. 

When Milroe's at his best, he can save Alabama, no matter what situation it may be in. If he can play with more consistency, he might be unstoppable. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:52 pm ET · Will Backus]

Lulls continue to hurt Alabama 

Aside from the Vanderbilt loss, hot starts haven't been an issue for Alabama this season. The Crimson Tide rolled to a 28-0 advantage in Week 5 against Georgia and looked to be following a similar path against the Gamecocks when they scored touchdowns on two of their first four drives to take a 14-0 lead. 

But in each game, that's where the wheels fell off. The Bulldogs were able to outscore Alabama 34-5 to take a late fourth-quarter lead two weeks ago, and then on Saturday, South Carolina scored 19 unanswered points between the end of the first half and the start of the second to completely erase the Crimson Tide's advantage. 

In both scenarios, obviously, Alabama relied on some late-game heroics to quickly turn momentum and pull a win out. That isn't a sustainable model. 

That inconsistent play is going to hurt Alabama at some point this season -- the Vanderbilt game doesn't necessarily count, since the Crimson Tide were never able to fully recover from a disastrous start. Hero ball is fun, but it isn't what competitors need to win. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:22 pm ET · Will Backus]

South Carolina has hope 

Well, South Carolina did recover the onside kick. It bounced through the hands of two Alabama tight ends before the Gamecocks were able to jump on the loose ball. South Carolina takes over at Alabama's 49-yard line with a chance to kick a game-winning field goal. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:19 pm ET · Will Backus]

South Carolina comes up just short

Late 4Q: No. 7 Alabama 27, South Carolina 25 

South Carolina should do the "throw the ball downfield to Nyck Harbor" play more. The Gamecocks could have this game with a downfield strike to the freaky athlete. With just over 40 seconds left to play, quarterback LaNorris Sellers uncorked a deep shot to Harbor, who boxed out a defender and made a phenomenal catch to secure the ball near the sideline. It was initially ruled incomplete, but replay review showed that Harbor was able to get one foot down before he fell out of bounds. 

But it wasn't enough. South Carolina went for a necessary 2-point conversion, but Sellers overthrew an open Vandrevius Jacobs in the back of the end zone. Unless the Gamecocks can jump on an onside kick, Alabama is going to escape. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:11 pm ET · Will Backus]

Alabama scores, but...

Late 4Q: No. 7 Alabama 27, South Carolina 19 

The good news for Alabama: the Crimson Tide, facing third-and-10 from South Carolina's 34-yard line, just scored a huge touchdown on a coverage bust. Germie Bernard's 34-yard reception gives Alabama the largest lead it has had since it went up 14-0, and Alabama has now scored 13 unanswered points. BUT, all Alabama needed to do to win the game was get a first down and then drain the clock. While the touchdown is exciting, it did leave South Carolina just under two minutes to march down the field and potentially tie the game. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 3:06 pm ET · Will Backus]

Crucial third down upcoming 

Get ready to tune in for the most meaningful play of Saturday's game. When play resumes following the two-minute timeout, Alabama faces a third-and-10 from South Carolina's 34-yard line. Get the conversion and the Crimson Tide secure a win. Anything less than that -- even enough yardage to get into field goal range -- keeps the door open for the Gamecocks. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 2:57 pm ET · Will Backus]

Alabama's defense buckles down

The Crimson Tide were aided by a holding call that put South Carolina behind the sticks, but the defense just came up with a huge stop. South Carolina was only able to get a handful of yards on third-and-18, setting up a 51-yard field goal for kicker Alex Herrera. It would have been a career long for Herrera, were it anywhere close. Instead, the boot sailed wide right of the goal posts and South Carolina missed out on a prime opportunity to flip momentum. Alabama now takes over on its own 33-yard line up 20-19. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 2:41 pm ET · Will Backus]

Alabama surges ahead 

Early 4Q: No. 7 Alabama 20, South Carolina 19 

When in doubt, trust Jalen Milroe's legs. The Crimson Tide turned South Carolina's crucial fumble into a lead, as Milroe took a designed quarterback run seven yards into the end zone. That's a potentially momentum-shifting play, as the Gamecocks had an opportunity to open up a two-score lead not five minutes ago. Alabama did come up short on the 2-point try, so South Carolina -- which has done a decent job of extending drives this game -- only needs a field goal to pull back in front. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 2:38 pm ET · Will Backus]

And there's Alabama's defense 

This game features a severe lack of killer instinct -- at least on the offensive side of the ball. With a prime opportunity to stomp on Alabama's throat after intercepting a Jalen Milroe pass in the end zone, South Carolina quite literally fumbled the ball away. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers dropped the ball and Alabama's LT Overton jumped on it to give his team possession on South Carolina's 31-yard line. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 2:36 pm ET · Will Backus]

South Carolina defense steps up 

It hasn't been a banner day for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. With a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown from South Carolina's 14-yard line, Milroe lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone. Wide receiver Germie Bernard looked open, but Gamecocks defensive back O'Donnell Fortune made a great read to peel off of his wide receiver and snag Milroe's pass, which stayed in the air for a bit too long, out of the air. 

[Oct 12, 2024 at 2:31 pm ET · Will Backus]

Alabama defense reeling 

Start 4Q: South Carolina 19, No. 7 Alabama 14 

Alabama's defense has come up with a few crucial stops so far, but some of the concerning trends that have plagued the Crimson Tide this season have been magnified. South Carolina opened the second half with a 16-play, 85-yard scoring drive. The Gamecocks converted on four third downs to keep the possession alive, including a 22-yard completion to wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. on third-and-15. Alabama has now given up three 16-plus play touchdown drives this season. The Crimson Tide only surrendered one such drive between 2014-23.