Oct 113 min read

No. 7 Alabama Hosts Gamecocks in a Must-Win Matchup

Updated: Oct 12

Coming off arguably the worst loss in program history, Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) aim to right the ship when the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2) come to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. They will meet at noon EST on Oct. 12 at Saban Field.

The last time Alabama saw a football field, it suffered a devastating loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-2, 1-1) in its first game after earning the AP No.1 ranking. Defensive Coordinator Kane Womack's defense had its worst showing of the year and couldn't get off the field on third down. As a result, the Commodores dominated the time of possession, limiting Alabama's opportunities offensively. Vanderbilt had the ball for 42:08 compared to just 17:52 for Alabama. The Tide will need to play much better defensively to beat South Carolina and get their season turned around.

The Stakes

Alabama has not suffered back-to-back regular season losses since Nick Saban's first season in 2007. While setbacks are expected with an all-new coaching staff, the Crimson Tide faithful wouldn't take lightly losing back-to-back games to unranked opponents. Alabama fans became spoiled under the Saban regime and many have the "championship or bust" mentality. While DeBoer's job is safe this season regardless of the outcome, a loss against South Carolina would have some fans calling for his head. Those of course are fans who don't remember the days between Gene Stallings and Saban. Speaking of those days, Mike Shula, the coach replaced by Saban will be returning to Tuscaloosa for the first time since he was fired in 2006. He is an offensive assistant coach for South Carolina.

South Carolina also comes into this game looking to avoid back-to-back losses after getting rocked 27-3 by No. 9 Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1). The loss to Ole Miss was the Gamecocks' second conference loss of the year and they want to avoid losing their third. With S.C. looking to take that next step under fourth-year head coach Shane Beamer, a loss against the Tide could derail that goal. South Carolina faces a tough schedule moving forward and needs to win most of its remaining games to secure a decent bowl bid.

Key Players: Alabama

OLs: Kadyn Proctor, Elijah Pritchett

LT Proctor and RT Pritchett will face a tall task against a South Carolina pass rush that has produced 15 sacks on the year. The Gamecocks are dangerous on the edge of the defensive line and both 'Bama tackles will need to play great football to successfully protect quarterback Jalen Milroe.

LBs: Deontae Lawson, Jihaad Campbell, Qua Russaw

Lawson and company need to do a much better job containing Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers than they did against Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia. Alabama allowed Pavia to keep drives alive with his feet and improvisations. The Tide's defense, specifically the linebackers, can't allow that to happen with Sellers if they want to come away with a win.

Key Players: South Carolina

QB: LaNorris Sellers

Sellers is a redshirt freshman who can hurt teams with his arm and legs and could be the next dual-threat QB to give the Alabama defense fits. Crimson Tide defenders did not find an answer for Pavia in the loss to the Commodores, as he confounded them by extending plays with his legs. Sellers has similar capabilities.

Edges: Dylan Stewart, Kyle Kennard

Edge rushers Stewart and Kennard have accounted for 9 sacks this season. The pass-rushing duo can disrupt the quarterback at any time and will need to do so against Jalen Milroe to prevent big plays with his wide receivers like the electric Ryan Williams. Milroe had two uncharacteristic turnovers against Vanderbilt and one was a fumble after a blindside sack. Stewart and Kennard will look to replicate that multiple times when South Carolina and Alabama meet on the field.

Trends to Watch

Alabama's rushing defense comes into the contest ranked 54th in the nation, giving up 128.6 yards a game, while South Carolina averages 184 yards rushing per game. The Gamecocks' rushing attack is led by RB Raheim "Rocket" Sanders and QB Sellers. If Alabama's defense doesn't substantially improve upon its performance a week ago, the Crimson Tide could be in trouble against South Carolina's rushing attack.