The South Carolina Gamecocks will travel to Tuscaloosa this Saturday for a noon kickoff against the seventh-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams are coming off rather embarrassing losses. But both were embarrassing for different reasons.
Carolina got blown out, but it was by a much better team in the Ole Miss Rebels. Alabama on the other hand, suffered the biggest upset of the season as the previously top-ranked team in the country went on the road and got outplayed by Vanderbilt. Now, both teams will be looking to bounce back.
On paper, the Crimson Tide are the clear runaway favorites, but that was true last week as well. Do the Gamecocks have a path to victory, or will they suffer their second consecutive blowout loss to a top-ten-ranked opponent? Let’s find out as we dive into this week’s South Carolina Gamecocks gameday preview.
Black Eye for the Tide
As was previously mentioned, the Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off their worst loss in a very long time. Just one week after they knocked off the number two ranked Georgia Bulldogs in what was arguably the best game of the year so far, the newly minted number one ranked Tide cruised into Vanderbilt looking for an easy win.
Instead, first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer quickly found himself coaching a dog fight. The Commodores, led by quarterback Diego Pavia, quickly jumped out to a shocking two-touchdown lead. The Tide did regroup, eventually cutting the deficit down to just two points heading into the fourth, but Vanderbilt wasn’t rolling over.
In the final frame, Vandy was able to pull away and secure the upset. When the dust finally settled, everybody in country was looking around wondering how in the world the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide managed to lose to Vanderbilt of all teams.
The simple answer is that Bama had no answer for Pavia. The New Mexico State transfer completed 16 of his 20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. While he wasn’t asked to throw the ball much, when he did he was on the money shredding the Tide’s secondary on several long passes. Pavia’s excellence coupled with two timely turnovers was all it took to pull the shocker out.
With the humiliation of that loss still very fresh, Bama will turn its attention to Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. Can Carolina shock the world for the second time in two weeks? Odds are probably not, but crazier things have happened. Let’s look at what they’ll be up against come Saturday.
Best Bama Offense Ever?
The last several years of Nick Saban’s tenure at Alabama were characterized by elite high-scoring offenses. You had the Tua-led teams from 2018-19, Mac Jones and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith in 2020, and of course the Bryce Young squads in 2021 and 2022. All of these groups put up historic numbers. With DeBoer at the helm this season we could be witnessing something that surpasses them all.
Led by Heisman hopeful Jalen Milroe and a rising freshman superstar in Ryan Williams, the Tide have what looks like a truly unstoppable attack. Just look at the first half against Georgia, and you’ll see exactly what I mean. It seems like every play Milroe is either beating you with his legs or uncorking a 50-plus yard bomb to Williams who for large portions of any game seems un-coverable.
Add in a solid tandem at running back with Justice Haynes and Jam Miller, and things get even harder. It seems like the best option for teams to stop the Crimson Tide is to just keep them off the field. This is exactly what Vanderbilt did last Saturday, as they controlled the ball for an astonishing 42 minutes compared to Bama’s 17.
If Carolina wants to stop Milroe and company, their best bet is to keep the ball for as long as they can. Leaning on their strength in the run game will go a long way here, but LaNorris Sellers will also have to protect the ball. Luckily for the Gamecocks, the Tide’s defense appears to be shaky this season.
Not the Bama Defense from 2010
One thing the last two weeks has made very apparent regarding this Alabama team is that the defense isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of the smothering units from the early 2010s which carried the Tide to multiple national titles. While the current crop of players is certainly talented, they lack the depth and star power from previous years.
As of this writing, Alabama ranks 50th in total defense, 45th in rushing defense, and 61st in passing yard allowed. That last mark is of particular concern for many Bama supporters, as the Tide are currently relying primarily on underclassmen in the secondary. With so much star power on offense, it was easy to overlook the concerns on defense until last week.
With everybody well aware of their shortcomings, Alabama will have to find a way to sure up their suspect defense. That being said, Beamer isn’t overlooking the Tide, regardless of what their last six quarters looked like.
“You still see them flying around, playing with great effort,” Beamer said in a press conference on Tuesday. “Regardless of what they’ve done the last six quarters, this is a really good defense. We know we have a big challenge in front of us.”
A frustrated Alabama defense will surely be looking to redeem last week’s disaster. It will be up to Sellers and the rest of Carolina’s offense to make sure they don’t get that opportunity.
Final Thoughts
Despite what happened last weekend, Alabama is still one of the best teams in the nation especially on offense. If anything, the Tide will be looking to make a statement at home, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for the Gamecocks. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a path to victory, however.
What this game will boil down to is whether or not the Gamecocks can control the time of possession. If they can to keep Milroe and the Tide’s offense on the sidelines then they will have a chance. That being said, this won’t be an easy task as Carolina has struggled on offense all year.
The run game will need to be active early, and Sellers will have to make good decisions down the stretch. Protecting the football will be crucial, so he can’t afford to be careless when he’s asked to throw. If Carolina can find success in these areas, then this will be a very interesting ball game.
