South Carolina’s first road test in SEC play comes with a heavy lift: a trip to Tuscaloosa to face No. 8 Alabama on Saturday night.
The Gamecocks are 2-1 after letting a 16-point lead slip away in a 41-34 loss to Mississippi State last weekend, and now they’ll try to bounce back against a Crimson Tide team that has been rolling early. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bryant Denny Stadium, with ESPN carrying the game.
Alabama opened as an 11.5-point favorite at Draft Kings, Fan Duel and VegasInsider, making this the first time South Carolina has been an underdog this season.
The series has leaned hard toward Alabama. The Tide have taken three straight meetings, including a 29-22 win at Williams-Brice Stadium last year, and hold a 15-3 edge all-time. South Carolina’s last win in the matchup came on Oct. 9, 2010, when the Gamecocks beat Alabama 35-21 in Columbia.
South Carolina’s SEC opener turned into a frustrating collapse. The Gamecocks couldn’t protect their big lead against Mississippi State, and quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a rough second half, throwing interceptions on back-to-back possessions. South Carolina also gave up 393 yards after allowing just 382 total over its first two games.
There has still been plenty to like about the offense. The Gamecocks have topped 430 yards in each of their first three games, the first time they’ve done that to open a season since 2014.
Under Shane Beamer, though, conference openers have been a problem. South Carolina is 1-5 in those games, and Beamer is 0-2 against Alabama as a head coach.
Alabama enters at 3-0 after a 50-36 win over Florida State in a game interrupted by a pair of lightning delays. The Tide scored on nine straight drives and piled up 567 yards of offense. They’re putting up 47.6 points per game and have forced seven turnovers through three games, their best takeaway total since 2019.
Kalen DeBoer has also made Bryant-Denny a tough place for anyone to visit. The third-year coach is 15-1 in home games, and Alabama has won 90 straight home games against unranked opponents.
For South Carolina, Dylan Stewart gives the defense a boost after making his season debut against Mississippi State. The preseason All-SEC pick finished with a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries, and Beamer said Stewart was on a 15-20-snap limit. He played 14 snaps.
Matthew Fuller has been one of the most reliable pieces in the Gamecocks’ attack. He scored both as a receiver and a runner against Mississippi State, found the end zone in each of South Carolina’s first three games, and finished with 158 total yards against the Bulldogs. Through three games, he has 365 total yards and four touchdowns.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell has been one of the early stories on that side, too. The sophomore quarterback arrived with a huge reputation after being one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks in Texas and the 2024-25 Gatorade National Player of the Year.
He won the starting job in the preseason and looked the part against Florida State, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns while adding 56 rushing yards and another score. In three games, Russell has completed 57 of 83 passes for 764 yards, four touchdowns, and has rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive line, Devan Thompkins has been a force for the Tide. The Southern Cal transfer has 12 tackles, leads Alabama with three sacks, and earned SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after posting six tackles and two sacks against Kentucky on Sept. 12.
South Carolina’s next stretch after Alabama includes Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson, with a bye week on Oct. 17.
In Other News...
South Carolina Suddenly Has Bigger Problems Than One Bad Loss
South Carolinas loss to Mississippi State was painful not just because the Gamecocks let a 16-point lead slip away, but because it fit a familiar and increasingly frustrating pattern. LaNorris Sellers had an uneven day with interceptions and accuracy issues, and the offense never found the kind of rhythm that can steady a team when games start to turn.
Shane Beamer is feeling the weight of those results. The record against Power Four opponents has been bleak, and the SEC numbers are even harder to ignore, which is why the conversation around his job security has started to grow louder despite the six-year contract he signed. One bad loss can be shrugged off in a long season, but this one only added to the sense that bigger questions are now hanging over the program. [Read more 🡒]
LaNorris Sellers Just Put South Carolinas Biggest Hope Under Pressure
LaNorris Sellers had the kind of afternoon that can linger, even in a season that still has plenty of football left. In South Carolinas loss to Mississippi State, the Gamecocks quarterback completed 25 of 40 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns, but the two interceptions and the broader unevenness of the game stood out more than the production. Pro Football Focus graded it as the lowest passing performance of his career, a notable marker for a player the Gamecocks have leaned on as one of their biggest hopes.
The concern is not just one bad showing, either. Sellers play has not shown clear improvement since the 2024 season, which puts added pressure on every outing and makes each mistake feel a little bigger. Shane Beamer acknowledged the errors while still voicing confidence in Sellers consistency and work ethic, a reminder that South Carolina is still betting on internal growth rather than looking for an easy replacement. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Next SEC Test Just Got More Interesting For Fans
South Carolinas stretch of SEC football is about to get a little more layered, with Kentucky set to visit Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3 for a 4:15 p.m. kickoff on SEC Network. Before that, the Gamecocks have Alabama on deck this weekend, a matchup that carries its own weight as South Carolina goes after its first win over the Crimson Tide since 2010.
Kentuckys arrival also adds a fresh wrinkle for fans watching the bigger picture. First-year Wildcats coach Will Stein will meet Shane Beamer for the first time, and the scheduling note comes as South Carolinas 2026 football slate is also taking shape. For a program trying to build momentum in the league, every SEC date matters, but this one already has a little extra curiosity attached to it. [Read more 🡒]