A week ago, the Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1, 1-1) took one of their worst losses in program history, losing 40-35 to unranked Vanderbilt team despite being No. 1 in the AP Poll. Now in Week 7, they rank No. 7 and host the South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2, 1-2). The Gamecocks got blown out by No. 12 Ole Miss 27-3 at home last week, and will look to rebound against the Crimson Tide.
History Of This Matchup
The Crimson Tide have historically dominated the Gamecocks, with a head-to-head record of 13-3. The most notable for South Carolina fans was in 2010, when the No. 19 Gamecocks upset No. 1 Alabama at home, by a final score of 35-21. That victory is still considered the greatest upset in program history.
Key Players for South Carolina
After their abysmal performance last week, the Gamecocks will need just about everything to go their way to beat this Alabama team. These will be the most important players for the Gamecocks this week.
Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers will be tasked with out-dueling the Crimson Tide offense, which is no easy task. As is the case in almost every game, Sellers needs to play to the best of his abilities. Escaping the pocket, throwing the deep ball, and being a threat in the run game are all positive aspects that he brings to the table.
Regarded as one of the best edge-rushing duos in the country Dylan Stewart and Kyle Kennard will need to step up and lead the defense. With only one sack as a defensive unit (that was nullified by a taunting penalty) last week, they need to put pressure on the Crimson Tide offense and pressure them into making bad plays.
Key Players for Alabama
Don’t let last week’s embarrassing loss fool you, this Alabama team is no joke. They have stars at every level on both sides of the ball. These players will play a major role if the Crimson Tide wish to walk away with a win in Week 7.
Jalen Milroe has been outstanding as Alabama’s quarterback this season. Milroe has already connected for 11 touchdowns to only two interceptions this season, and has completed 72.4 percent of his passes.
When the Crimson Tide have really separated themselves from everyone else is the run game. Milroe himself has already scored nine times himself on the ground. Meanwhile, Jam Miller leads the running back group with 355 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. Miller is a 5 foot 10 inch, 218 pound junior who can be described as an angry runner.
In the receiving game, true freshman Ryan Williams has taken college football by storm. With his ridiculous acrobatic catches at 17 years old, he truly is amazing. Take a look at this toe-tap catch followed by two of the greatest spin moves you’ll ever see to take this ball to the house:
ABSOLUTE SCENES IN TUSCALOOSA!!!
RYAN WILLIAMS WITH A 75-YARD TD TO RETAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/pvc9ML7E7G
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 29, 2024
Keys for Victory for South Carolina
The Crimson Tide have a very aggressive defense. So far this season they have three fumble recoveries, five interceptions, and 10 sacks. Five out of the seven Alabama defenders who have recorded sacks are linebackers.
This means Dowell Loggains, the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator, will only see success if his offensive line can be close to perfect. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near good last week, as Ole Miss put constant pressure on Sellers with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. If the offensive line can be good, this should have a positive effect on the run game, which was also awful a game ago.
However, it is important to remember Carolina’s top running back, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, was coming off an injury last week. That return only allowed for a limited snap count and eight carries. It will be interesting to see what Sanders’ work load will look like three weeks removed from the injury.
Overall, poor execution won’t cut it. South Carolina needs to put out their best effort for a shot at the upset.
