Part of the gameday experience in Columbia, S.C., is listening to the overture from “2001: A Space Odyssey” as the Gamecocks take the field.
There was a sequel to that movie, way back when: “2010: The Year We Make Contact.” And in 2010, Alabama made contact with Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia. It ended about as well as the “2010” astronauts’ attempts to communicate with the monolith at Europa.
Arthur C. Clarke, who penned the novels upon which both movies were made, wrote other books in the series. Just for the sake of safety, Alabama would prefer to steer clear of any further examples of science fiction this week, and stick simply to the facts.
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Those facts include an Alabama team on a six-game tear at the moment, winners of four in a row over ranked opponents, while South Carolina sits 3-4 and is in an offensive funk – and dealing with rumors that head coach Shane Beamer is being considered for the same job at Virginia Tech, where his father became a legend. Former Alabama head coach Mike Shula is the current Gamecock offensive coordinator, and Shula was the subject of a small fan “protest” earlier in the week calling for his dismissal.
In the middle of all of this, Alabama needs to find a way to continue winning and keep its College Football Playoff hopes afloat. South Carolina’s season may have been disappointing up to this point, but as Garcia and the 2010 Gamecocks proved, sometimes when you shoot for the stars, you hit what you’re aiming for.
OFFENSE
South Carolina is somewhat of a mess offensively that pits the conflicting styles of Mike Shula against the kind of quarterback he typically never recruited as a head coach. South Carolina ranks just 127th in total offense, 120th in rushing offense and 102nd in passing offense. Outside of QB LaNorris Sellers’ scrambling ability, it’s difficult to find something the Gamecocks do well. Team passing efficiency, where USC ranks 82nd, is the only offensive metric in which the Gamecocks don’t rank 100th or worse. It’s quite a spectacle, actually. Shula prefers a strict pro-style attack, but so far it hasn’t made the best use of South Carolina’s skillset. Alabama counters with its Air Raid-influenced pro-style spread; while Alabama continues to have problems running the ball (103rd), the passing attack (11th) and passing efficiency (6th) has allowed the Crimson Tide to rise to 42nd in total offense.
QUARTERBACKS
Despite South Carolina’s struggles, LaNorris Sellers remains a dangerous weapon, one likely with an NFL future ahead of him. Sellers’ trump card is his ability to scramble out of trouble, and it’s not just about his ability to break into the open field. His ability to move around in the pocket and create time for himself borders on the special. The stats – other than touchdowns thrown – are comparable to other quality QBs: 90-of-139 (64.7%), 1,134 yards, 5 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. He’s added 108 yards on 84 carries – an average of 1.8 yards per carry, but in college stats, sacks are counted negatively against that number and South Carolina gives up a lot of those.
Alabama fans who saw the 2024 Bama-USC game can attest to Sellers’ ability to make plays with his feet – which is why it’s so curious that Shula seems to be forcing circa-2000 offensive concepts onto a dynamic, dual-threat quarterback. Alabama’s Ty Simpson leads a lot of Heisman Trophy betting boards at the moment; while he isn’t the runner that Sellers is, he’s mobile enough to cause headaches, and his passing has been top-notch. Simpson has thrown for 1,931 yards at a 70.2% clip, collecting 18 touchdowns along the way and throwing just 1 pick.
While there isn’t as much distance between Sellers and Simpson as some Alabama fans would like to think, the Tide does hold the edge there, and then pulls away significantly when the backups are considered. Luke Doty is below average as a backup; both Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are superior. Sellers can’t be ignored in the least, but Alabama is in good shape at the moment thanks not just to Simpson’s development, but the better playcalling that fits his style. Advantage: Alabama
RUNNING BACKS
Rahsul Faison is a quality runner and would make a good complementary piece on most SEC rosters; here, he’s the featured back. Even with Jam Miller’s injury woes in 2025, Miller still has 1 more rushing yard than does Faison. Matt Fuller and Oscar Adaway will be the backups; they’ve received about the same amount of carries this season, but together average less than 4 yards per carry. Faison and Adaway are somewhat involved in the passing game as receivers, but their output there has been below average as well. For Alabama, it’s a question of health, both from Miller and Daniel Hill, who finally began to emerge against Tennessee after shaking off multiple early injuries. Miller looked slowed a bit against the Volunteers as a result of a concussion suffered against Missouri, but he’s fully cleared this week.
Assuming the injury report isn’t lying, Miller brings multiple components to his game that allow Alabama to pull ahead in this category, namely receiving skill, the ability to get outside and the way he fits into the passing game. Expect to see more from Hill this week, who seemed to earn carries as a result of his work late against the Vols, which included a couple of nice blitz pickups and a toss-sweep touchdown that showcased some unexpected speed.
Kevin Riley will also play, but Hill may wind up taking a lot of Riley’s carries, at least on traditional inside runs. Riley’s speed and receiving ability are hard to pass up, though. If Miller is the same as he was last week, we’d probably give South Carolina the edge here. We’re going to trust that he really has made improvement physically since last week. Advantage: Alabama
WIDE RECEIVERS
Lotzeir Brooks may wind up being a late scratch for Alabama, and that will hurt, as he had taken over the fourth receiver spot from Rico Scott and had begun taking his game to the next level. But Alabama still has Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams and Isaiah Horton, along with Scott, and the possible return of Derek Meadows from a concussion. Any of Alabama’s three starters would be South Carolina’s best receiver, so while Brooks will be missed, it’s a loss Alabama can potentially work around. At tight end, Josh Cuevas continues to make clutch plays on third down, and true freshman Kaleb Edwards is progressing nicely. Danny Lewis Jr., who came back from a foot injury to have a solid game against Missouri, missed Tennessee with an injury to the same foot and is out again this week, so the backup tight end roles will have to be filled by Jay Lindsey or Marshall Pritchett. South Carolina’s second-best offensive weapon to Sellers is probably 6’5”, 235-pound receiver Nyck Harbor, who has flash speed to go along with his bulk and is averaging 16.4 yards per catch. The leading receiver by statistics is Vandrevius Jacobs, while true freshman Brian Rowe Jr. will start in the slot. Another true freshman, Donovan Murph, leads a deep group of receivers that include Mazeo Bennett, Jared Brown and freshmen Malik Clark and Jayden Sellers. It’s a deep group for sure, but all the touchdown production has come from the three starters, and only Murph has been able to make real progress as a downfield receiver. Brady Hunt and Kentucky transfer Jordan Dingle are solid options at tight end. With Brooks out, Alabama’s advantage gets slimmer, and South Carolina does have superior depth. But the Gamecocks lack a receiver that can take over a game the way Berard, Williams or Horton can. Advantage: Alabama
OFFENSIVE LINE
Alabama may wind up being without swing guard Geno VanDeMark in this game, but South Carolina will be missing starting RT Cason Henry and this unit was in terrible shape with or without him. South Carolina ranks 133rd out of 134 teams in sacks allowed and ranks 126th in tackles for loss allowed. The line was predicted to be a problem prior to the season, but this has turned into a worst-case scenario. Other than LT Josiah Thompson, who has had a disappointing 2025 to say the least, none of the other starters are locked in.
We expect the guards to be Trovon Baugh and either Western Kentucky transfer Rodney Newsom Jr. or freshman Shedrick Sarratt Jr., but Markee Anderson will play some there as well. Boaz Stanley appears to have the center spot in hand now, but Incarnate Word transfer Nolan Hay is also an option. Right tackle will be either Tree Babalade or Jatavius Shivers.
Alabama will start Parker Brailsford at center and Kadyn Proctor at left tackle. The rest of the line rotates enough that even without VanDeMark, we expect to see Michael Carroll and Wilkin Formby at right tackle, and Formby in the mix at right guard along with Jaeden Roberts. Kam Dewberry will be the likely starter at left guard, with Will Sanders and Olaus Alinen also in the mix. Neither team has set the world on fire as run blockers, but South Carolina has been barely functional in protecting Sellers at quarterback. Advantage: Alabama
DEFENSE
South Carolina will operate from a base 4-2-5 that is similar to what Alabama runs, at least in theory. The fact the Gamecocks rank 41st in total defense, 29th in pass defense and 38th in pass efficiency defense is actually fairly impressive given the almost non-functional offense. Rush defense is just 75th, though, and injuries might have further negative effect on that stat. Alabama’s 4-2-5 Swarm is coming off a solid performance against Tennessee, but still can be prone to the running game (83rd). Pass defense, though, ranks 10th, with efficiency defense coming in at 26th nationally. Scoring defense is 21st and Alabama is 3rd in turnover margin.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Everyone needs to familiarize themselves with DE Dylan Stewart and where he is at all times. Stewart was one of the key parts for South Carolina in last year’s game; at least his 2024 counterpart Kyle Kennard is no longer playing college ball. Stewart and his 2025 cohort, Bryan Thomas, have combined for 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, along with 15 QB hurries and 3 forced fumbles. Backups Desmond Umeozulu and Jatius Geer aren’t much of a step down when they’re in the game. The question marks are going to come up the middle.
Alabama transfer Monkell Goodwine, who couldn’t threaten the rotation when he was in Tuscaloosa, is a key member of this South Carolina team, but he isn’t 100 percent this week. He’ll need more help than usual from Texas A&M transfer Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and Bowling Green transfer Davonte Miles. Nick Barrett starts next to Goodwine, with Georgia Southern transfer Troy Pikes playing a key role. South Carolina ranks 57th overall in sacks and 85th in tackles for loss, with the majority of its production coming from the defensive end spots.
Alabama is 81st in sacks and 76th in tackles for loss. Tim Keenan III and James Smith will start inside, with L.T. Overton starting at end. Edric Hill, Kelby Collins, Isaia Faga and true freshman London Simmons provide depth inside, while Jordan Renaud, Keon Keeley and Fatutoa Henry back up Overton. At the Wolf spot, technically a linebacker but played mostly as an end in Alabama’s scheme, Yhonzae Pierre has become a force to be reckoned with. His production, added to Overton’s, is about equal to that of Stewart and Thomas for South Carolina. Justin Hill and Noah Carter add depth behind Pierre.
This one is probably the closest call on the board, as Alabama is better inside but South Carolina remains a touch better from the ends. Goodwine’s health probably makes the ultimate difference this week. Advantage: Alabama
LINEBACKERS
Alabama transfers Shawn Murphy and Justin Okoronkwo play a big part in the South Carolina defense, and as far as transfers go, Okoronkwo will probably wind up listed under “ones that got away” in a few years. Fred Johnson rotates with both of them, and as a trio, this is a decently productive inside linebacker unit, but one that has struggled to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. It’s been especially noticeable in the lack of negative run stops. Johnson will be one of the more underrated coverage linebackers Alabama faces, though, so the Crimson Tide can’t overlook this group.
Alabama will use the trio of Justin Jefferson, Deontae Lawson and Nikhai Hill-Green, the latter coming off his best game to date in an Alabama uniform. Alabama’s three inside backers take up the first, second and fourth spots on Alabama’s tackle list, a function of how the front has done an able job funneling plays to quicker players. If Hill-Green can continue to play at the level he showed against Tennessee, this unit will probably begin filling out its preseason projections. There is still work to be done – Lawson’s overrun on Tennessee’s long touchdown run Saturday is evidence of that – but Alabama has a big edge here in experience and is a bit quicker as well. Advantage: Alabama
DEFENSIVE BACKS
This is a well-put-together group that solidified itself with the addition of NC State transfer CB Brandon Cisse. Cisse’s addition, added to the safety tandem of D.Q. Smith and Jalon Kilgore, has made for tough sledding for opposing passing games. Smith’s ability to support the run and his sure tackling ability is of high importance, too. Judge Collier starts opposite Cisse, with Peyton Williams moving up to start at free safety. Ball State transfer Myles Norwood has been a solid addition as the third corner.
Alabama will rotate Zabien Brown, Dijon Lee Jr. and Domani Jackson at corner, while Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb anchor the safety group. We’ll see whether DaShawn Jones continues to start at the nickel safety spot ahead of Rydarrius Morgan, but both will play, along with Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and Zavier Mincey. South Carolina has one of the best secondaries Alabama will face this year and the gap between them and Alabama isn’t nearly as wide as it might first seem. It’s even not out of the realm of logic to favor USC here because of Alabama’s uncertainty at the nickel spot, but we like Alabama’s physical edge at corner, which will come into play against WR Nyck Harbor. Advantage: Alabama
SPECIAL TEAMS
South Carolina essentially replaced its entire special teams unit coming into the fall, as did Alabama with the exception of punt returner Cole Adams. Gamecock PK William Joyce is 5-of-7 on field goal tries this year, the two misses coming from longer range. His resume is on par with Alabama’s Conor Talty, just with fewer attempts. South Carolina ranks 14th in net punting, 12th in punt returns and 57th in kickoff returns, all numbers that best Alabama. South Carolina also has superior rankings in punt and kick return defense. It’s not a surprise when you consider that Shane Beamer’s background is as a special teams guru, or that his father Frank put so much emphasis on special teams himself. Alabama probably has superior athletes on the coverage team but it’s not by enough to overcome the edge in returns and net punting. And Alabama’s advantage at placekicker is minuscule. Advantage: South Carolina
OVERALL
Alabama leads in seven categories, South Carolina in one, but the entire defensive analysis could probably go either way. In regard to OL-DL cross-matchups, Alabama’s defensive line has a clear advantage over South Carolina’s offensive line. Going the other way, it’s probably a push. Alabama should be able to control South Carolina’s tackles, but the edge rushers will be a challenge for Proctor and whoever is playing right tackle at the time.
This is the first game in awhile where we see Alabama with a clear roster advantage, and also with a favorable matchup advantage in head-to-head. Alabama taller corners are likely to neutralize the advantage Harbor brings to the South Carolina receiver corps, while the running game figures to be challenged by Bama’s speed. That leaves Alabama needing to shut down, or at least mitigate, QB LaNorris Sellers.
And now we’re back to the Stephen Garcia game, which is going to be a point of discussion as long as there are Alabama fans alive to tell the story of 2010. Sellers is twice the quarterback Garcia was, so the idea that lightning can’t strike twice needs to be put to bed ASAP.
However, there is also the Mike Shula factor. The playcalling to this point has been ineffective and without a lot of imagination, but Alabama under Shula was able to occasionally win games it shouldn’t have (think of Tennessee 2005, for instance) simply by managing mistakes and not putting the defense in bad spots. Shula was originally brought in to help teach pro-style concepts to Sellers as a quarterback analyst, but his role has expanded to include being the offensive coordinator. It’s a career arc that might not last much longer if he can’t find a way to modernize his train of thought.
Expect to see a few new wrinkles from the Gamecocks, but we expect this particular leopard to retain its spots. Alabama is unlikely to build a big lead against a defense this good, especially not out of the gate, but if Alabama stays the course, it should be able to pull away late. If Alabama lets Sellers run wild, though, this could be a recasting of the opener against Florida State – and if it does turn out that way, Alabama can’t get impatient and lose its composure the way it did in Tallahassee.
If that happens, this particular space odyssey will come crashing back to Earth, fast.
Alabama 27
South Carolina 13
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