Written by Adrian Beecher
Alabama managed to escape with a 27-25 win over South Carolina improving to 5-1 on the season, but their performance in the final moments of the game left much to be desired. While they secured the victory, the unnecessary drama that unfolded after the two-minute warning could easily have been avoided. If the Tide don’t clean up their late-game execution, their chances of making a deep run into January could be in jeopardy.
The turning point came when Alabama’s quarterback, Jalen Milroe, found Germaine Bernard wide open, taking advantage of a breakdown in South Carolina’s defensive coverage. Bernard’s touchdown should have sealed the game, but in hindsight, there was a better option. If Bernard had gone to the ground after making the catch, Alabama could have taken three kneel-downs and run out the clock. With 1:55 left on the clock at the time of the score, the game would have ended there.
Instead, the Gamecocks were given a second life. South Carolina mounted a comeback drive, with quarterback LaNorris Sellers finding Nyck Harbor for a toe-tap touchdown that was initially ruled incomplete but overturned after review. South Carolina’s two-point conversion attempt failed when Sellers missed a wide-open receiver in the end zone—an error you won’t often see from quarterbacks once the stakes are higher in January.
Even after South Carolina’s miscue, Alabama’s special teams had a chance to put the game away but botched three separate attempts to recover an onside kick. The Gamecocks regained possession, setting up yet another chance to steal the win. In the final moments, instead of choosing to connect with a wide-open receiver on a quick seven-yard out route that could have set up a potential game-winning field goal, Sellers threw a desperation Hail Mary. Alabama’s Domani Jackson intercepted the pass, and the game should have been over.
But even then, Alabama’s instincts faltered. Rather than immediately going to the ground, Jackson ran 38 yards downfield, giving South Carolina a fleeting hope that they could tackle him and force a fumble. Although he was eventually stopped, the decision-making at the end of the game was baffling and could have cost Alabama dearly.
In the end, Alabama walked away with the win, but the 27-25 victory exposed critical late-game flaws. If the Crimson Tide hope to be serious contenders come January, they’ll need to sharpen their situational awareness and execution, or risk watching their championship dreams slip away.
