The South Carolina Gamecocks fell short of an upset over the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in a 29-22 defeat at Williams-Brice Stadium this Saturday. Offensive miscues caught up to the team in a game that slipped away at the end of the fourth quarter.
A 15-play, 74-yard opening drive by South Carolina that spanned over seven minutes stalled out inside the 10-yard line after the team elected to follow up a failed touch pass with back-to-back runs. Redshirt senior kicker William Joyce kicked a 24-yard field goal to go up 3-0 early.
The Gamecocks defense forced a three-and-out on the Crimson Tide's first drive of the day. The Crimson Tide entered the matchup with the 13th most passing yards per game in all of college football.
On the first play after getting the ball back, redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ pass to graduate running back Rahsul Faison was bobbled up into the air and into the hands of Alabama redshirt senior defensive back DaShawn Jones and returned 18 yards for the Crimson Tide’s first touchdown of the day.
“Sometimes with football things don’t go your way,” Sellers said on the pick-six. “That was one of those things that just happened to go their way.”
Faison began to make up for the turnover on South Carolina’s third offensive possession with a 13-yard rush and a 33-yard catch and run. The Gamecocks miscues bled into the second quarter as Joyce’s 47-yard field goal try wound up wide right to end the drive.
Alabama’s offense would quickly find itself in a third-and-25, and after a failure to convert, a penalty by South Carolina for having too many men on the field would grant Alabama a second attempt where they would convert a third-and-20.
While the miscue extended the drive, a strip sack by redshirt sophomore defensive back Vicari Swain on Alabama redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson would give South Carolina possession. The offense responded with an eight-play drive covering only 23 yards. Undisciplined offensive line play stalled the drive, as a 13-yard rushing touchdown by Sellers was called back for holding. The Gamecocks would be called for a second holding penalty later in the same drive, forcing the team to settle for a field goal.
With 4:23 left in the second quarter, Simpson led the Crimson Tide on a nine-play, 81-yard touchdown drive in just over two minutes. Alabama’s final drive of the first half was their first drive of the game in which they picked up more than one first down.
The Crimson Tide had barely outgained the Gamecocks by halftime, 173 yards to 169, and the Gamecocks dominated time of possession 19:15 to 10:45. Alabama’s two total rushing yards at halftime would not imply they were leading the game by 8 points.
Miscues began to feel like a thing of the past in the third quarter when Sellers ripped a 54-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Nyck Harbor on the first play after the fourth down stop. South Carolina trailed 14-12 with only two timeouts for the rest of the game following a failed 2-point conversion.
After a series of defensive stops by each team, the Gamecocks would take their second lead of the game with 1:38 left in the third quarter following a 47-yard field goal.
The team began capitalizing on opportunities in the second half, unlike in the first. With 13:28 left in the game, a South Carolina punt bounced off an Alabama defender and was recovered by South Carolina at the Alabama 30-yard line. A Sellers 10-yard rushing touchdown just six plays later would give the team a 22-14 lead with 10 minutes to go.
“When you've got an 8-point lead, you've got a team on the ropes, you've got to put them away,” head coach Shane Beamer said.
Tied at 22 with 2:16 left in the game, a hot Gamecocks offense looked to score the final points of the game, but on just the second play of the attempted game-winning drive, LaNorris Sellers would fumble on a designed quarterback-run. Alabama took over at South Carolina’s 38-yard line with just 1:39 to go.
“We’re going to rebound,” Harbor said. “We've got all trust in this guy (Sellers) right here ... and we still got his back.”
In a season where offensive struggles have highlighted the Gamecocks' shortcomings, the unit took strides in production and consistency on Saturday. A consistent inability to avoid unforced errors and self-inflicted miscues proved too much for the team to overcome in the final period against one of the nation’s best teams.
“We did not play well on offense, defense or special teams in the fourth quarter,” Beamer said.
What's next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-5, 1-5) will travel to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 1, to take on the Ole Miss Rebels (7-1, 4-1) in another SEC clash. The Gamecocks will seek revenge for the 27-3 victory the Rebels earned at Williams-Brice last season.