Moral victory or not, South Carolina football needed to improve more than it needed to win against No. 7 Alabama.
The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) were on the cusp of glory Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium, falling 27-25, but the storylines they erased are more important going forward than the storylines they fell short of.
South Carolina didn’t need to be the team that gave the Crimson Tide (6-1, 2-1) its first back-to-back regular-season losses since 2006.
The Gamecocks needed to throw better downfield and have a better offensive plan. But on Saturday, South Carolina couldn’t be criticized for its lack of assertion because against the Crimson Tide, the Gamecocks finally showed some grit.
South Carolina didn’t throw a pass longer than 17 yards a week earlier against Ole Miss. The offensive identity was in question as it scored only three points against Ole Miss. The game against Alabama was a chance to get quarterback LaNorris Sellers comfortable with his receivers again, as he’s battled injuries and missed time. By the second quarter, the offense was gelling and improving rapidly.
Sellers finished 23-of-31 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns, a season best in yards and completion percentage (.742). South Carolina was averaging 176 passing yards per game before Saturday.
The touchdown on which Sellers found freshman Mazeo Bennett on wide open on fourth down was his first passing touchdown since Week 2 against Kentucky. Then, the 31-yard touchdown Nyck Harbor caught on second-and-8 with 50 seconds left proved offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains trusts the passing game in huge moments. Last week, it seemed like Loggains shied away from deep throws overall.
Sellers completed passes to 10 receivers and averaged 10.3 yards per completion.
What the offense displayed against Alabama was an ability to sustain drives, which hadn’t been the case weeks before. South Carolina had the ball to start the second half, and trailing by two, ripped eight minutes off the clock and scored a go-ahead touchdown. The Gamecocks ran 16 plays and gained 85 yards with no detrimental penalties to force a punt, something that seemed impossible for South Carolina as of late.
OVERREACTIONS: South Carolina football’s pass rush is exceptional and other overreactions from Alabama loss
Against Alabama, the run and passing games were more balanced, rather than a run-heavy offense like previous weeks. The Gamecocks logged 132 yards on 39 rushing attempts, more than Alabama’s 104 on 38 yards.
The reason South Carolina lost was arguably Sellers’ fumble that put a skilled offense in a great position to score a touchdown. A youthful mistake in a huge moment, costly, but it doesn’t take away from the overall improvements.
South Carolina is fighting for six wins for bowl eligibility, and the fact it didn’t upset Alabama won’t help going forward.
Yet it felt like the first complete game on offense in a long time for South Carolina, and that Sellers was able to succeed with both his arms and legs against a rock-solid defense was refreshing. The offensive scheme was rooted in assertiveness and versatility, for arguably the first time all season.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football plays 4 quarters of decisive offense vs Alabama
