No. 7 Alabama Scratches Out Win Over Unranked South Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, AL — No. 7 Alabama and South Carolina duked it out in an old-fashioned Southeastern Conference slugfest as the Crimson Tide outlasted the Gamecocks 27-25 in Tuscaloosa.

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Following last week's historic loss to Vanderbilt, it was something of a sluggish start for the Crimson Tide after quarterback Jalen Milroe got Alabama on the board first with a short quarterback keeper after the opening drive lasted four minutes.

The following drive saw Deontae Lawson and Damon Payne combine for a huge third down stop to force a South Carolina punt.

The Gamecocks defense tightened up in the game's opening frame, though, forcing a three and out before a roughing the punter call gave the Tide a second chance.

Milroe and the Crimson Tide offense struggled for the rest of the first quarter, with a sack on third down forcing a punt that saw Alabama pin South Carolina deep in its own territory.

What appeared to be a big defensive stop for Alabama to start the second quarter ultimately resulted in a roughing the passer call that helped South Carolina move across midfield.

Despite the promising genesis of the drive for South Carolina, it ended with defensive back DeVonta Smith forcing a fumble that was recovered by Malachi Moore.

South Carolina closed a 14-0 gap in the final minutes of the first half, taking advantage of a busted coverage for a score before adding more points with a safety and field goal to go into the half down 14-12.

After a back-and-forth battle in the second half that saw South Carolina secure a brief lead, Milroe got the offense rolling before scoring on a seven-yard touchdown run with 10:42 left in the game.

Fans then thought Milroe iced the game away with just under two minutes left, hitting Bernard for a 34-yard touchdown to put the Tide up 27-19.

Instead, South Carolina responded in kind by marching down the field and scoring with 43 seconds left in regulation. This set up a Gamecocks two-point attempt that failed, with Alabama maintaining a 27-25 lead in the game's final minute.

It should come as no surprise, though, that the game wouldn't quite end there.

Down by two following the score, the Gamecocks managed to recover an onside kick with no timeouts left. Before

Milroe finished the day 16-for-23 through the air for 209 yards and one touchdown, while contributing 10 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.

Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 19 as the Crimson Tide travels to Knoxville to take on Tennessee.

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