The South Carolina Gamecocks lost their second consecutive game on Saturday, coming up short in a thriller against the Alabama Crimson Tide. In a back-and-forth game full of suspense, Carolina gave the Tide all they could ask for and then some.
Despite the valiant effort though, the Gamecocks came up a play short and left Tuscaloosa with a 27-25 loss. While Carolina certainly showed signs of improvement, letting a game like this slip away stings. Much like the LSU loss earlier in the season, Carolina certainly came ready to play but costly mistakes were the difference maker.
Now, the three and three Gamecocks will have to regroup ahead of another road game against the Oklahoma Sooners. With so much to unpack from this matchup though, it’s important to look at the good and the bad from Saturday’s loss. So, with that being said let’s take a look at the key takeaways from the Gamecocks loss to Alabama.
Sellers’ Growing Pains
The biggest factor heading into this matchup was whether or not Carolina’s passing game could step up and exploit a young Bama secondary. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers certainly threw the ball well, as he posted a season-high 236 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Sellers also turned the ball over three times with two fumbles and a game-sealing pick.
Taking the good with the bad is unavoidable when you have a young quarterback figuring things out. Although Sellers’ turnovers essentially cost them the game, his improvements as a passer overall were undeniable. His last-second touchdown to bring Carolina within two was evidence of this.
Shane Beamer echoed this during his post-game presser when asked about his quarterback’s performance.
“LaNorris Sellers is a warrior,” Beamer said. “He continues to get better each and every week. To come on the road, 23-of-31, 238 yards and ran the ball well. I thought he did enough for us to win the football game. He will continue to get better.”
It may not do much to ease the pain from the loss, but Sellers took another massive step today. He was completely unrecognizable from the guy we saw making his first start against Old Dominion. With more time and experience, Carolina will hopefully start finding themselves on the winning side of these close games.
Carolina Defense Bounces Back
Another positive from Saturday’s loss was the defense returning to form. A week after getting shredded by Ole Miss’ high-powered offense, the Gamecocks held Jalen Milroe and company largely in check. The Tide were held to just 313 yards while Milroe was sacked four times and threw two interceptions.
Carolina also held up pretty well on the ground, as Bama’s leading rusher only gained 42 yards. They did give up two rushing touchdowns, but both were in short-yardage or goal-line situations. When asked about his defense, Beamer had nothing but praise.
“They did a great job. It is who they are,” Beamer said. “One of the keys to the game was to affect Milroe and we were. We had stopped the run and had sacked him four times. We had created a turnover, as well. Thought they did enough for us to win.”
With those four sacks Beamer mentioned, the Gamecocks now have the second most sacks in the SEC with 23. Carolina also added to their league-leading interception total as well, which is now at 10.
Outside of the Ole Miss game, Carolina’s defense has been playing like one of the top units in the country. They’ve kept the Gamecocks competitive this season, which is a first in the Beamer era. If the offense can tighten up down the stretch, then this team can still make some noise.
Carolina and the Term “What If?”
Looking at Carolina’s season so far, the main theme appears to be “what if”. What if they didn’t have two pick-sixes called back against LSU? What if Sellers doesn’t turn the ball over three times against Bama, or if he hits a wide-open receiver in the back of the end zone to tie the game late? The margin for error in this sport can be razor-thin, and that’s what has defined the Gamecocks thus far.
Saturday was no different, as the game could have turned in Carolina’s favor with just one or two plays going their way. Instead, the Gamecocks are currently sitting at three and three with two brutal losses that could have easily been wins.
What makes Saturday so frustrating for this team is that they played well enough to beat Bama. It’s not like a week ago when they were just blown out by a better team. You could actually argue that Carolina WAS the better team. They played well enough to win, but self-inflicted mistakes cost them the game.
Losses like this are soul-crushing for a team, and Beamer touched on that feeling in his post-game presser.
“I hurt for them because we’re sick of this feeling,” Beamer said. “They work too hard during the week to come in here on Saturdays and feel like that in that locker room.”
Being sick of the feeling is one thing, but doing something to change it is entirely different. The good thing about college football though, is that each week is a new opportunity to improve upon the last. Nothing can be done now to change the last several weeks, but the next six are still ripe for the taking.
Final Thoughts
The Gamecocks have a choice to make from here on out. They can either wither away, or they can find a way to fix the issues that have in order to make something of this season. It’s up to Beamer and his staff to figure out which path they’ll go down.
The next two weeks will show us which of these will define the Gamecocks’ last six games. Carolina plays a ranked Oklahoma on the road, and a ranked Texas AM at home. While both games will be a challenge, they’re also both winnable. If this team can find a way to overcome the issues that have hindered them thus far, then this can still be a successful year in Columbia. If not, then it very well could end up being their second consecutive losing season.
