Alabama Runs Past South Carolina 49-18 Behind Russell, Red-Zone Defense
The short version
- Alabama improved to 4-0 with a 49-18 home win over South Carolina on Sept. 26.
- Keelon Russell threw a 75-yard TD to Lotzeir Brooks and played like a veteran in his fourth career start.
- Ryan Coleman-Williams caught TDs of 32 and 42 yards and totaled 98 receiving yards.
- Red-zone stands, including one after Matt Fuller's 56-yard run, limited South Carolina's scoring.
- Luke Metz recorded his first career double-digit tackle game.
Keelon Russell delivered again and Alabama's defense tightened near its own goal line as the Crimson Tide moved to 4-0 with a home win over South Carolina.
Alabama defeated South Carolina 49-18 on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Bryant-Denny Stadium, moving to 4-0 on the season. The Crimson Tide's smallest winning margin so far this year remains a 14-point decision over Florida State. Against the Gamecocks, the outcome was effectively decided by the break at halftime.
Quarterback Keelon Russell, a sophomore making just the fourth start of his career, turned in another standout outing. He opened the scoring with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Lotzeir Brooks and was sharp the rest of the way. Russell was accurate as a passer, diagnosed blitzes, stayed patient in the pocket and picked his spots to run, all while benefiting from strong protection up front.
Receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams had a breakout performance of his own. He hauled in touchdown catches of 32 and 42 yards in the first half as Alabama built a 21-3 cushion, finishing with 98 receiving yards. He might have produced even more, as Russell went elsewhere on several plays where Coleman-Williams had beaten the South Carolina secondary. He also fielded punts with noticeable confidence.
The 42-yard touchdown connection between Russell and Coleman-Williams in the second quarter served as the game's decisive sequence, stretching the lead to 21-3. Any second-quarter touchdown could qualify as the turning point, though, because the Gamecocks were still within reach when the period began and out of it by the time the quarter closed.
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's unit bent in the red zone but rarely broke. On the game's opening snap, South Carolina running back Matt Fuller broke loose for 56 yards to the Alabama 19, but cornerback Zabien Brown ran him down and the defense held, forcing a missed field goal. The Gamecocks later reached the Alabama 16 and had to settle for a successful field goal. Alabama also recorded a turnover on downs, though that stop came at the 25-yard line, just outside the red zone.
Inside linebacker Luke Metz, a Georgia native, reached double-digit tackles for the first time in his career and delivered a notable hit in punt coverage. Through the opening third of the schedule, he has ranked among Alabama's most effective first-year starters.
A pair of transfers contributed highlights as well. Wide receiver Noah Rogers, in his first appearance in an Alabama uniform after hurting his knee on A-Day, gained 36 yards on his lone catch, a deep ball along the left sideline. Tight end Josh Ford, an Oklahoma State addition valued mainly for blocking, hauled in a one-handed, back-of-the-end-zone grab on a high, slightly behind throw from Russell for a 28-3 lead and his first touchdown of the year.
Not everything went smoothly. Alabama's run defense gave up chunks of yardage, with Fuller breaking free on multiple occasions, even though the red-zone stands kept the damage off the scoreboard. It followed a week in which the pass defense had been tested by Florida State.
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