Thumbs up, thumbs down: Quick reactions to South Carolina’s loss to Alabama
Any “Cocktober” celebrations will have to wait until next year.
South Carolina had No. 4 Alabama on its heels in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s home game, but a late fumble and Crimson Tide touchdown handed the Gamecocks their third-straight loss and a 3-5 record on the year.
Here’s what stood out, good and bad, for USC in the 29-22 loss:
Thumbs up
Second half defense: USC’s defense played well all game, but Clayton White’s unit took things to another level in the second half. Alabama went four-straight drives without a score and recorded just 152 yards in the second half. USC had multiple key sacks, tackles for loss and pass breakups to keep Alabama’s offense on its heels, and helped the Gamecocks offense stay afloat and ahead until the final Alabama drive.
Turnover battle: Any coach, including Shane Beamer, will tell you how important the turnover battle is. USC won that battle 3-2, forcing three turnovers in three different ways: A forced fumble by Vicari Swain, and turnover on downs and a flubbed punt return recovered by the Gamecocks. All three were crucial for USC’s momentum throughout the game. Unfortunately for USC, the most critical turnover of the game was the one it committed late in the fourth quarter.
Possession time: Although USC’s offense didn’t put huge numbers on the scoreboard, it did improve in one area statistically: time of possession. The Gamecocks out-possessed their opponent and eclipsed 30 minutes of possession against Alabama for the third time this season with a 32:83 possession time.
Thumbs down
Chunk plays: Alabama’s offense wasn’t particularly dominant in Saturday’s contest. The Crimson Tide finished with 325 yards, below their 422.7 average, and scored just once. But chunk plays continued to hurt the Gamecocks and kept their opponent in the game. The USC defense allowed six plays of 15 yards or more in the game, totaling 481 yards that made up nearly half of Alabama’s production.
Missed opportunities: The USC offense still didn’t capitalize on most of the opportunities it was handed from the defense. The Gamecocks went 6-for-17 on third downs and scored only one touchdown from the red zone. The offensive production was enough to keep it close, but not enough to wow anyone or get the win.
Rushing numbers: USC’s running backs have had poor output all season, and that continued against Alabama. Without LaNorris Sellers, the Gamecocks finished with 19 rushing attempts for a measly 44 yards. There still isn’t a clear front-runner in the position group as USC continues to cycle through the trio of Rashul Faison, Matthew Fuller and Oscar Adaway III.
This story was originally published October 25, 2025 at 7:36 PM.
