South Carolina heads to Tuscaloosa on Saturday night for a tough road test against No. 8 Alabama, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. ESPN will carry the game, and the matchup brings together a 2-1 Gamecocks team coming off a frustrating 41-34 loss to Mississippi State and an Alabama squad that is unbeaten at 3-0 after beating East Carolina, Kentucky and Florida State.
The Crimson Tide have owned the series overall, leading 15-3, and they’ve taken the last two meetings. Both of those games were tight, decided by seven points or fewer. South Carolina’s most recent win in the series came in 2010, and the last time the Gamecocks won in Tuscaloosa was 2004.
For viewers, the game will air on ESPN and stream on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor will be on the broadcast. Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs and Chet Tucker will handle the local radio call, while SiriusXM will carry it on Channel 267 and 977 on the app.
South Carolina is taking on the role of underdog for the first time this season. Alabama opened as an 11.5-point favorite, and the line has moved to 12.5 at most major sportsbooks, including FanDuel and DraftKings.
The Gamecocks are 1-2 against the spread. ESPN Analytics gives Alabama the edge as well, putting South Carolina’s upset chance at 17.8%.
The injury report brought seven South Carolina players into the week. Edge rusher Dylan Stewart is listed as probable after returning last week from a lingering back injury, though he was unable to finish the game.
Linebacker Shawn Murphy, who also exited last week’s contest hurt, is probable too. Veteran defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy is doubtful, while DB Jalewis Soloman, WR Jayden Sellers, LB A.J.
Holloway and OL Josiah Thompson are all out. The SEC injury report will be updated again on Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday.
Tuscaloosa should offer a relatively friendly setup for the visitors and anyone making the trip. AccuWeather calls for “Times of clouds and sun; a beautiful start to the weekend,” with temperatures expected to reach 86 and dip to 62. By kickoff, it should be in the lower 70s to high 60s, and the chance of rain is just 16%.
Shane Beamer has made it clear South Carolina is trying to flush last week and move forward. He referenced a famous Bill Belichick line while talking about the team’s response to the Mississippi State loss, and the message has been consistent: the Gamecocks are done dwelling on it and are locked in on Alabama. Beamer has also said this season will be judged by how South Carolina bounces back.
A big part of that response starts with LaNorris Sellers. The quarterback had a rough stretch late against Mississippi State, throwing two interceptions in a game that also included a few unusual mistakes.
Even so, he finished with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns. Alabama’s defense, which leads the SEC with five interceptions, will put that performance under a sharper microscope.
South Carolina’s defense has work to do as well. The Gamecocks allowed 41 points and 393 total yards last week and have forced only two turnovers on the season.
That’s a far cry from the takeaway production the program has been known for in recent years, and it matters even more against an Alabama offense that has averaged 465.7 yards per game. If South Carolina is going to hang around, a turnover or two could be the kind of swing play that changes the night.
A few individual matchups stand out. Running back Matt Fuller has settled in as South Carolina’s starter and delivered 158 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns last week while playing 62 offensive snaps.
The Gamecocks will need that ground game to show up again. Linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, known as “J-O” to his teammates, posted a career-best 14 tackles against Mississippi State, including 10 solo stops.
He spent one season at Alabama in 2024, so this trip to Bryant-Denny will carry a little extra weight.
On the other side, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell is in his first season as the starter and has already thrown for 764 yards and four touchdowns while adding 133 rushing yards and two scores. Beamer said he sees flashes of both Ty Simpson and Jalen Milroe when watching Russell, pointing to his arm strength and athleticism.
At linebacker, Caleb Woodson has made an immediate impact since transferring from Virginia Tech. He leads Alabama with 18 tackles, has two sacks, and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play in the Week 2 win over Kentucky.
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For South Carolina, the timing matters as much as the talent. DeVries said his recruiting visit stood out because of the pitching program and the team culture, two things the Gamecocks have leaned on while building their next wave of arms. He now gives the staff a promising long-term addition, with upside that could look even better once he gets farther removed from surgery and back into a full workload. [Read more 🡒]
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For Clemson, the spotlight also falls on a couple of names that could shape the night in different ways, with running back Gideon Davidson and defensive back Misun Kelley among the players to watch. The bigger question is whether the Tigers can handle the West Coast timing and shore up a defense that has already shown some vulnerability against the run, especially with several defensive tackles dealing with injuries. [Read more 🡒]