Alabama Leads 35-3 and Rolls South Carolina 49-18
Alabama was up 35-3 with 2:20 left in the second quarter. The rest was just arithmetic. The Crimson Tide won 49-18 and are 4-0.
Keelon Russell threw touchdown passes of 75 yards to Lotzeir Brooks and 32 yards to Ryan Williams in the first quarter, so it was 14-0 before the quarter was out. South Carolina got a Malik Orsan field goal, and then Russell threw another to Williams (42 yards) and a three-yarder to Josh Ford. Thirteen seconds after that, Red Morgan returned an interception 23 yards for a score. That made it 35-3. LaNorris Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for a 41-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left in the half, and it was 35-10 at the break.
Nobody scored in the third. South Carolina started the fourth with a nine-yard Matthew Fuller run and a two-point conversion to make it 35-18, and Alabama replied with a one-yard Daniel Hill run and a nine-yard Russell run to finish 49-18. Alabama led from the first score to the last, with no ties.
The yardage looks closer than the scoreboard: South Carolina ran for 216 yards and had 419 total, against Alabama's 491. But Alabama threw for 365 yards and committed no turnovers, while South Carolina threw an interception and lost a fumble. The Gamecocks ran well and still lost by 31. The pick-six was worth seven points, and without it it is still 42-18.
Alabama is 4-0, South Carolina 2-2. Russell's 48.1 fantasy points were the biggest number of the day, and Ryan Williams added 27.2 on five catches. Fuller of South Carolina (24.2) was the best of the losing side.