TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There are SEC teams that pride themselves on their calm, relentless march to victory, but there are also teams that live in chaos, and each game is an adventure where victory is not certain, but madness is. Alabama used to be one of the former teams. Now, in the era of Kalen DeBoer and Jalen Milroe, it's more likely the latter.
No one within a hundred miles of Tuscaloosa would admit it, but… Last week's loss to Vanderbilt shook the Tide to its core. This was visible on the secondary ticket market, which collapsed in the following hours of last week. On Saturday, you could see it in the empty stands at the top of Bryant-Denny Stadium. This was evident in the final 97 seconds of the first half when the Tide defense completely fell apart and allowed the South Carolina Gamecocks to score 12 points on three different possessions.
Yes, Alabama won in a deeply unconvincing 27-25 victory after a South Carolina interception on a potentially game-winning drive in the final seconds.
The Gamecocks were stopped in the final minute on a potentially decisive two-point attempt, and after recovering an onside kick, they had one more shot. However, Domani Jackson tackled SC quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the final seconds, saving the day for the Tide.
But wow, are there problems in T-Town.
It makes sense, the Tide's shaken self-image. When you establish your identity based on generational expectations of perfection, you are not built to handle the hammer blow to the heart of a loss to Vanderbilt. If the sun rose blue in the west, that would also be quite depressing.
He was given a chance to redeem himself for that Vanderbilt's face in Alabama's home game against South Carolina once again inexplicably and irritatingly fell short of expectations. Instead, the Tide did much to reinforce the idea that the crew that threw 28 straight at Georgia was an aberration and that the team that struggled against the Commodores is much closer to the real 2024 Tide.
Alabama took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards to the end zone within four minutes, and for a moment it seemed as if the Crimson Tide's fortunes had turned in the expected direction. When the Tide took a 14-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first half, well, it wasn't pretty, but hey, at least it was a two-possession lead, something the Tide never managed to overcome against Vanderbilt.
But then came the final 1:37 of the half, 97 seconds, that defined this year's Tide program and likely ended Alabama QB Jalen Milroe's Heisman hopes. First, the Alabama defense suffered another stunning defensive miscue that allowed Gamecock receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. for a wide opening in the end zone after a fourth-and-9. This allowed the lead to be reduced to 14-7.
After winning the ball, Milroe deliberately kicked the ball into the ground under pressure, leading to a safety. Alabama forced South Carolina to punt, but Milroe then threw the first of his two interceptions. The clock appeared to have run out, but officials rolled the clock back a second… and that's never good news for Alabama. South Carolina kicked a field goal to end the half and tie the game 14-12.
The Gamecocks kept the momentum going in the third quarter with a monster 16-play, 85-yard, 8 1/2-minute drive that ended with a decisive touchdown. Stunning aura what the hell is going on hung thick over Bryant-Denny Stadium, and when Milroe intercepted the ball in the end zone on the Tide's next possession, disbelief turned to fatalism.
But this is the Alabama of 2024, where nothing goes as expected. On the very next play, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers fumbled the ball, and Alabama turned it into a touchdown and regained the lead in just 1:23.
From there, Milroe and crew righted the ship and held on for the victory. Milroe provided some redemption by running for a 7-yard TD and throwing the game-tying 34-yard score to Germie Bernard on third-and-10 with less than two minutes left in the game.
Alabama fans could breathe a sigh of relief for now.
