Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled most of the time, but was good enough in Alabama’s win over South Carolina on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Some SEC teams pride themselves on a calm, relentless march to victory, while others live in turmoil, with every game a crazy adventure in which victory is not guaranteed. Alabama used to be one of those teams. Now, in the era of Karen DeBoer and Jalen Milroe, it’s definitely the latter.
No one within 100 miles of Tuscaloosa will ever admit it, but last week’s loss to Vanderbilt shook the tide to its core. This was also confirmed in the secondary ticket market, which collapsed within hours following last week. It could be seen across the empty seats in the upper reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. And it could be seen in the final 97 seconds of the first half, when the Tide defense completely collapsed, allowing the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks 12 points on three separate possessions.
Yes, Alabama won with a very unconvincing 27-25 victory after holding off a potential win against South Carolina in the final seconds.
The Shamcoxes were stopped on a potential two-point try in the final minutes of the game, but they got another shot when they recovered the ensuing onside kick. However, Domani Jackson saved the day by scoring on SC quarterback Lanoris Sellers in the final minute.
But wow, does T-Town have a problem?
Of course, Tide’s shaky self-image. A generation of expectations for excellence and an identity haven’t equipped the team to withstand the shock of a loss to Vanderbilt. If the sun were to rise blue from the west, that would also be quite upsetting.
Given a chance to redeem Vanderbilt’s face in a home game against South Carolina, Alabama once again inexplicably and frustratingly fell short of expectations. Instead, the Tide did much to support the idea that the team that hung 28 straight against Georgia was an anomaly, and that the team that struggled against the Commodores was much closer to the true 2024 Tide.
Alabama took the first kickoff and marched 75 yards to the end zone in four minutes, and for a moment, it looked like the Crimson Tide’s fortunes were back on track. When the Tide took a 14-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first half, well, it wasn’t pretty, but at least it was a two-possession lead. This was something the Tide was never able to accomplish against Vanderbilt.
But the final 1:37, 97 seconds of the second half defined this year’s Tide program and perhaps ignited Alabama QB Jalen Milroe’s Heisman hopes. First, the Alabama defense made another stunning defensive blunder, allowing Gamecock receiver Mazzeo Bennett Jr. to go wide open in the end zone on fourth-and-9. This shortened the lead to 14-7.
On the ensuing possession, Milroe intentionally grounded the ball under pressure, resulting in a safety. Alabama forced South Carolina to punt, but then Milroe threw the first of his two interceptions. It looked like the clock had run out, but officials turned the timer back one second…and that’s never good news for Alabama. South Carolina kicked a field goal to end the first half and tie within 14-12.
The Shamcocks continued their momentum in the third set with an incredible 16-play, 85-yard, eight-and-a-half minute drive that ended with the game-winning touchdown. A stunned aura of what the hell was going on hung over Bryant-Denny Stadium, and disbelief turned to fatalism when Milroe threw an interception in the end zone on the Tide’s next possession.
But this is Alabama in 2024, where nothing goes as expected. On the very next play, South Carolina quarterback Lanoris Sellers fumbled the ball and Alabama took the ball for a touchdown to regain the lead just 1 minute, 23 seconds into the game.
From there, Milroe and his crew righted the ship and held out for victory. Milroe provided some redemption by running for a 7-yard TD less than two minutes into the game and throwing a decisive 34-yard score to Jermie Bernard on third-and-10.
Alabama fans may hold their breath for now.
