Alabama is back home at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, and the Crimson Tide will get an SEC opponent for the first time this season when South Carolina comes to Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks are entering the matchup after a home loss to Mississippi State, and kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.
For Alabama, the game brings a few clear things to watch.
The first is whether the offense can find its rhythm sooner. That has been a problem in back-to-back games, with the Crimson Tide struggling to get rolling early and then having to dig out of two-score holes later. South Carolina may or may not be the kind of team that can fully punish that kind of slow start, but Alabama would still benefit from showing it can come out cleaner and more efficiently.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Monday he did not think the Crimson Tide were far off in those early stretches.
“Our first third down, I think was 3rd-and-3. We just barely slide out of a down block on a zero and honestly, we had a big crease there had we accomplished that,” Grubb said.
“And then on our third down on the next series, you know, (Lotzeir Brooks) doesn’t quite run out of the break the way Keelon (Russell) thought he was going to. There was a ton of space on the sideline open there.
So we ended up about a yard short on that one.
“And, you know, after that, they went on 9 straight scoring drives. So they did settle in pretty quickly. We had a good plan as far as for Keelon to be able to get him started simple and get the run game going as quick as we could.”
The second question centers on the defense. Kane Wommack was not pleased with what he saw from the secondary after the Florida State game, and he made that much clear on Monday.
“Appreciative to get the win despite a highly disappointing and uncharacteristic pass defense,” the Crimson Tide defensive coordinator told reporters in Tuscaloosa on Monday. “I think the worst that I’ve seen since we have been here.”
Alabama gave up 36 points to the Seminoles, its roughest defensive outing of the season so far. It is not enough yet to set off alarms, but it does put the spotlight on how the unit responds. South Carolina’s offense presents a real challenge with LaNorris Sellers at quarterback and several weapons around him, even if Alabama is still the better team on paper.
The final issue is health. Justin Hill is out, and so is Desmond Umeozulu, who transferred to Alabama from South Carolina this offseason. Neither player is a starter, but both are part of the Crimson Tide’s rotation up front, and their absence means others will have to step in.
Jah-Marien Latham could see more action because of it, and Fatutoa Henry is another option who may be asked to take on a bigger role.
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