The drive, which ended in a touchdown that put the Gamecocks ahead, took a lot out of the Alabama defense, going 16 plays and 85 yards to take 8:35 off the game clock. However, the group recovered, at least enough to get out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a win.

Alabama fans won’t endear much sympathy from the grander college football world after years of sustained success, but the whiplash from the Nick Saban era to the Kalen DeBoer era has to be jarring.

The No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide narrowly escaped what would have been back-to-back losses as they squeaked by the South Carolina Gamecocks in a 27-25