No. 8 Alabama is undefeated but not untested as it enters the meat of its Southeastern Conference schedule.
The next challenge awaits when the Crimson Tide (3-0, 1-0 SEC) welcome South Carolina (2-1, 0-1) to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for their first conference home game.
Alabama scored 20 unanswered points in the final 2:36 of the first half — interrupted but not deterred by a lightning delay — to erase a 21-6 deficit against Florida State last Saturday.
The Crimson Tide outlasted the Seminoles in the second half to win 50-36, a week after outscoring Kentucky 32-0 after halftime to take their SEC opener 45-17.
“Our team’s showing that they got each other’s backs,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said of his group’s response to its recent slow starts. “We’ve seen that now multiple times with adversity asked of our football team. Proud of that part.”
Quarterback Keelon Russell had the best game of his young career against Florida State, completing 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards and four total touchdowns.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is ready for his unit to get a chance to redeem itself after what he called a “highly disappointing and uncharacteristic” performance by his pass defense in the win over the Seminoles.
The Crimson Tide allowed 377 through the air as Florida State hit three completions of 40-plus yards.
“They were all either fundamental execution errors or guys simply not doing what is asked of them within the structure of the defense,” Wommack said after evaluating the film.
“I have great confidence in our players. I have great confidence in our coaches. We are in this together to get those things cleaned up, and I would imagine we will get those things fixed quickly.”
South Carolina will hit the road for the first time this season after dropping its SEC home opener to Mississippi State last weekend, 41-34.
The Gamecocks lost despite jumping out to a 16-0 lead and taking a 23-14 advantage into halftime.
They came out on top in total yardage, 431-393, but two costly interceptions by LaNorris Sellers led directly to 10 points for Mississippi State, giving the Bulldogs control in the second half.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer doesn’t want Sellers to shoulder the blame for the loss, saying on Tuesday, “We win as a team, and we lose as a team.”
“Are there some throws that LaNorris would like to have back or throws that he would like to make? Yeah, absolutely,” he added, “and then there’s also some plays that we made or didn’t make on defense and special teams that every single person would like to have back.”
Star edge rusher Dylan Stewart (back) and offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak (knee), a North Carolina State transfer, made their much-anticipated 2026 debuts last week after missing the start of the season while completing their recoveries.
Beamer expects both Stewart and Peak to play more this week and beyond as they “continue to ramp up what (they’re) doing in practice, ramp up what (they’re) doing in games.”
The Gamecocks are 4-13 all-time against Alabama, with their only win in Tuscaloosa coming in 2004.
