Offense fails to capitalize on defensive stops early in heartbreaking 29-22 loss to Alabama

In 2024, it was a 27-25 loss following a fourth-quarter lead over the Alabama Crimson Tide for South Carolina. In 2025, it was 29-22 following a 22-14 lead with ten minutes to go.

The South Carolina Gamecocks dropped to 3-5, 1-5 in conference play, following a 29-22 loss to Alabama.

“Obviously, a gutwrenching loss to say the least,” head coach Shane Beamer said. ” … Really proud of our team and how they played today. That’s not a surprise. I mean, I knew we would, that’s who we are … we got to go finish and we didn’t finish and they did. So, that’s a hurt locker room in there, as you can imagine.

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South Carolina opened Saturday afternoon’s game against No. 4 Alabama, taking the football first. The Gamecocks wanted to make an offensive statement after what’s been a difficult season offensively.

Unfortunately for them, the drive proved to be more of the same as they drove to the Alabama 4, stalled out, and kicked a field goal.

Close, but no cigar. The opening drive paved the way for the heartbreak Gamecock fans felt after watching the Crimson Tide almost walk off South Carolina.

The drive became the second straight week South Carolina’s offense stalled out in a goal-to-go situation on its opening drive. However, unlike Oklahoma, where they turned it over on downs, the Gamecocks took the points and took a 3-0 lead.

South Carolina’s offense refused to capitalize on the mistakes its defense forced early. Defense forces two three-and-outs? The offense picks up zero points on either. The defense forces a fumble near midfield? The offense can only manage three points out of it.

South Carolina’s offense even had the chance to take a two-possession, momentum-shifting lead against Alabama in the game’s third drive. However, a pass from LaNorris Sellers to Rahsul Faison got tipped into the air out of Faison’s hands and returned by Alabama’s DaShawn Jones for six.

Beamer told Faison after it happened that seven points won’t win the game.

“We’re going to need you to come back and carry this thing today and help us go win this,” Beamer said. ” … We had a lot of I mean, we had a lot of great individual plays today, but we had a lot of plays where we just, you know, we missed opportunities.”

Following both offenses trading three-and-outs, Faison got back into the good graces of the Gamecock faithful that filled Williams-Brice Stadium. The redshirt senior back put the Gamecocks in plus territory after a combined 46-yard sequence. However, once again, the drive stalled out, and William Joyce missed the field goal from 47 yards out to open the second quarter.

South Carolina’s defense continued to control the game at the start of the second half, turning Alabama over on downs on the opening drive of the half. Finally, the Gamecock offense capitalized on the stops.

Immediately following the turnover-on-downs, Sellers found Nyck Harbor deep for a 57-yard touchdown on the opening play of the drive. South Carolina’s crowd found life for the first time since kickoff as the defense forced a second straight three-and-out.

“Coach (Mike) Shula just called a great play,” Harbor said of the touchdown grab. “(Sellers) put a great ball out there, just went to go get it. We seen the free safety or strong safety was in the middle of the field, favoring the other side. So they just told me to run and go get it, and that’s what I did.”

After another exchange of punts, South Carolina got the ball back at the Alabama 29-yard line. Quickly, thanks to the run game by Sellers, the Gamecocks were able to move the ball downfield. However, for the fifth time on the day, the drive stalled and Joyce had to kick his fifth 47-yard field goal of the season.

The redshirt senior kicker made it, and the Carolina faithful began ramping up the noise. As night fell and the waxing crescent moon rose over Williams-Brice Stadium, South Carolina fans had something they hadn’t had for a long time. Hope.

South Carolina seemed not to have capitalized on the energy, punting after three-and-out. Then, Alabama muffed the punt, and the Gamecocks suddenly found themselves 18 yards from the endzone and a touchdown lead.

When the clock struck exactly ten minutes to go, South Carolina pulled ahead, 22-14. Sellers picked up his second rushing touchdown of the season, his first since Virginia Tech in the season opener. However, Alabama found a way down the field itself. Following a touchdown and two-point conversion, the game had its first tie with 2:16 to go.

The game ticked down to the final two-minute timeout. During the timeout, Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” played over the stadium, the song a good descriptor of South Carolina’s 3-4 season to that point.

As the saying goes, it’s the hope that kills you.

Two plays out of the timeout, Sellers fumbled the football on a rush up the middle. Alabama took over in plus territory. Sellers said postgame he thought the ref was going to blow the whistle and call the play dead after the Alabama defense stood him up.

“And then as soon as I started to fall down, when I was going to catch myself, that’s when I took my other hand off, and I guess that’s when they got under it,” Sellers said.

Two plays later, Alabama was at the Gamecock 25; they could’ve been content to run down the clock and kick the game-winning field goal. However, on third down, Germie Bernard took a 25-yard rush to the house, giving Alabama the game-winning touchdown.

While, according to Beamer, South Carolina let them score for a chance to get the ball back, a sack on Sellers closed the game officially.

“We’re going to be sick when we watch this tape, just missed opportunities that we had,” Beamer said.

Defensive back DQ Smith hopes that, despite the loss, the game can serve as a spark for the remainder of the season. Following the loss to Alabama in 2024, South Carolina closed its regular season with six straight wins.

“Hopefully that is the spark,” Smith said. “You know, we saw what we could do on both sides of the ball, special teams.”

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