Ty Simpson walked through the gates then up to his family, standing on the left side of the path outside Williams-Brice Stadium.
His dad, Jason, gave him a hug and a few thoughts. His mom, Julie, kissed him on the cheek and squeezed him too.
Then a fan standing nearby gave her take on the game that had just happened minutes prior.
A win is a win.
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That couldn’t have been truer for Alabama, and Simpson against South Carolina. The quarterback and the Crimson Tide had to muster some late-game heroics to avoid the upset, but they got it done. The journey to get to the win wasn’t pretty, but it goes down as a victory anyway.
No. 4 Alabama beat South Carolina 29-22 on Saturday, giving the Crimson Tide (7-1, 5-0 SEC) its first SEC road win over an unranked opponent in the Kalen DeBoer era.
That’s why Alabama emerged jubilant from the win, despite the ugly performance. Simpson, who certainly didn’t play his best game of the season, was no different.
“What a great win,” Simpson said.
The day after every Alabama game this season, AL.com will have extra thoughts and notes. Here’s all of them from the Crimson Tide’s win over South Carolina.
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Alabama Defensive Back DaShawn Jones (7) makes a touchdown on a pick six against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Oct 25, 2025.
Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
3 game balls
Recipients: Germie Bernard, Deontae Lawson, DaShawn Jones
On receiver Germie Bernard: It’s clear the high level of trust this coaching staff has in him. He’s like Ghostbusters for big plays in big moments. With the game on the line, who’s Alabama gonna call? Germie Bernard. He scored the last two touchdowns of the game, one catching a pass and the other taking a direct snap for the score.
On linebacker Deontae Lawson: The captain made the play of the game when he jarred the ball loose from LaNorris Sellers late in the fourth quarter. Lawson also made sure nose tackle Tim Keenan III saw the ball was underneath him. Lawson finished the day with seven tackles as well as a pass breakup.
On defensive back DaShawn Jones: His pick six will largely be forgotten because of all that transpired in the fourth quarter, but he gave Alabama points when the Crimson Tide seemed unable to score any for much of the first half.
Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs in for a touchdown against South Carolina in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)AP
Stat of the game
Simpson and the receivers were out of sync for a majority of the game, except for when it mattered most.
Simpson completed 8 of his last 9 passes to finish the game. That included the touchdown pass to Bernard with 2:16 left in the game. On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, Simpson hit tight end Josh Cuevas to tie the game.
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When Alabama had no room for error, Simpson and his receivers stepped up.
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Alabama essentially beat South Carolina the same way it did in 2024 — a Bernard touchdown in which he kind of walked into the end zone.
Then Alabama’s defense stepped up each time to close out the game.
The ending to the 2024 game proved more chaotic, though. South Carolina scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive a year ago. Then it went for an onside kick it recovered. But Domani Jackson picked off the ball in the end zone to secure Alabama’s win at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Fast forward to this year, and South Carolina got the ball back with 29 seconds left on its own 9-yard line. That wasn’t going to allow for much, but Alabama’s defense ensured nothing happened. Keon Keeley closed the game out with a sack.
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South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said after the 2025 game the Gamecocks defenders were told to let Alabama score if it got the first down. That way, South Carolina could at least give itself a chance with some time left on the clock. So once Bernard took the handoff to convert third-and-10, he tiptoed to the end zone as the defense let up.
It’s unclear if South Carolina did the same with Bernard when he caught the touchdown in 2024. No one was within 10 yards or so of him when he scored a year ago.
Either way, how Alabama closed out the game against South Carolina in back-to-back years rhymed.
Alabama Wide Receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs for a touchdown against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Oct 25, 2025.
Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
2 areas to fix
Deep passes
Pass protection
Alabama could have broken the game open on multiple occasions if Simpson could have found a way to connect with receivers on deep passes. But for whatever reason, most of them didn’t work out. Alabama needs to better develop this area of its game for the offense to take the next step. The deep ball wasn’t there enough, and it almost cost the Crimson Tide the game.
As for pass protection, it was lacking at times. South Carolina’s speed off the edge often proved problematic for Alabama’s offensive tackles. The Gamecocks finished with only two sacks, but their ability to affect Simpson got in the way of the Alabama offense far too often.
Alabama Quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws the ball against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Oct 25, 2025.
Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
3 parting thoughts
The importance of this win can’t be stressed enough. No, it didn’t go well, and South Carolina is not a good football team. But this was the last regular-season hurdle Alabama needed to clear under DeBoer. He proved he can win big games and small games. DeBoer can beat the best and the teams he’s supposed to beat. Alabama has leveled up.
Bernard is deserving all the success he’s having. He didn’t let all the praise and attention Ryan Williams received during the offseason affect or discourage him. In fact, Bernard expressed how much he loved it for his teammate. Meanwhile, Bernard kept working. That all has paid off. Williams has a world of talent, but Bernard has the argument for most valuable player on the offense besides Simpson. Bernard is putting himself in the first-round conversation for this springs NFL Draft.
The open week couldn’t come at a better time. You can tell DeBoer and the players need a breather after the gauntlet stretch it endured: five consecutive SEC games, and four of those games were against ranked opponents. The one that wasn’t was played in a raucous road environment. The way DeBoer and the players talk, they very much so welcome the chance to rest and re-charge ahead of the stretch run in November.
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Cam Wade earned an Alabama football offer earlier this week and locked in a return visit date for an official.
Wade is a 2027 recruit, and he attends Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Alabama is the latest program to offer the junior, but he holds previous offers from Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Maryland and others.
The Kentucky product said earning an Alabama offer means a lot to him.
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“As a kid growing up watching college football, you always dreamed about Alabama,” Wade said. “Just a wonderful experience, and I’m grateful.”
Wade was on campus for a visit when he earned his offer from the Tide, and the visit was a success.
“You can feel the intensity as soon as you walk in the door,” Wade told Touchdown Alabama. “I loved that, also how close the coaching staff was with each other was also great.”
Alabama will get Wade on campus on the weekend of May 29-31 for his official visit.
Wade is an explosive wide receiver with proven speed. He holds a PR of 10.6 in the 100-meter dash and a 21.6 in the 200-meter dash. This speed translates over to the field, and it makes him dangerous in different aspects of the game.
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Watch Cam Wade’s Highlights Below:
Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
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Alabama Shakes have lined up a string of North American and European tour dates for 2026. After releasing a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart last year with “Another Life,” Brittany Howard and the band are headed back to the live stage for a spring and summer run of concerts. Starting on April 16, the band will hit major cities around the US, including Atlanta, Denver and multiple stops in Florida before setting off for a stint in Europe this July.
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How to Buy Alabama Shakes’ Concert Tickets, At a Glance
After their incredible 2015 album Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes took a hiatus from 2018 to 2024, so that frontwoman/guitarist, Howard, could focus on her solo career. They would later reunite for a show in Tuscaloosa, Ala in December of that year, which led to a large tour in 2025 from July through September. Luckily for fans, the group decided to extend the tour and festival run in 2026. With their last single coming out in 2025, can we expect more music from the group while on tour?
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With their tour kicking off soon and tickets selling fast, we’ve compiled all the best ways to shop Alabama Shakes’ tickets online. Ticketmaster does have some general tickets available, but shifting your focus to several resell sites is a great way sho cheap, last-minute concert tickets as well. See below.
Where to Shop Last-Minute Alabama Shakes’ Tickets Online
With resell sites like StubHub, SeatGeek and Gametime, Alabama Shakes’ fans can shop available concert tickets online and securely. Below, ShopBillboard put together a list of affordable ticket options, including exclusive promo and discount codes. Learn about how you can save on concert tickets for each site below.
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With StubHub, fans can affordable Alabama Shakes’ tickets for as low as $71 in some cities. Shoppers can also take advantage of the site’s filters to find the best tickets and venue seating available. Choose from the number of tickets needed, price and even have estimated fees included in the cost, so there are no hidden surprises. Plus, each purchase is protected by StubHub’s FanProtect, which you can learn more about here.
Another great option for shopping last-minute concert tickets is on Vivid Seats. The resell site has Alabama Shakes’ tickets for as low as $61. The site will also help you determine the best offers available by labeling what dates have deals and displaying the cheapest prices available. If you want to save even more, use the code BB2024 at checkout, to save $20 off orders of $200+.
Your purchase will also be covered by the Vivid Seats Buyer Guarantee, which can you read more about here.
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Seat Geek is another affordable option to find cheap Alabama Shakes’ tickets with options as low as $64. The resale ticketing site uses a ranking system with a scale of 1-10 to show which options are the best deal. Tickets marked a one are considered the worst deal whereas options rated a 10 are considered the best deals. Bonus offer: First purchases are eligible to receive $10 off orders of $250+ when you use the code BILLBOARD10 at checkout.
Courtesy of Gametime
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Gametime is offering Alabama Shakes’ tickets online for as cheap as $65 right now. To save on concert tickets, shoppers can score an extra $20 off purchases of $150+ when you enter the code SAVE20 at checkout. If you find other sites offering a cheaper price, Gametime’s Price Guarantee Program will give you 110% of the difference back when you show proof to the resale site.
Lastly, Alabama Shakes fans can find cheap tickets on Ticketnetwork starting at $69. To save on concert tickets, shoppers can take advantage of our promo codes that will take $150 off purchases of $500+ when you use the code BILLBOARD150 at checkout or $300 off orders of $1,000+ when you use the promo code BILLBOARD300.
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Alabama Shakes 2026 Tour Dates
Take a look at Alabama Shakes upcoming tour dates below, alongside additional musical guest at each venue.
04/16 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront ~ 04/17 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena ~ 04/18 – Charleston, SC – High Water Fest 04/22 – Memphis, TN – Grind City Amphitheater + 04/24 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park + 04/25 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater + 04/26 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre % 04/28 – Tallahassee, FL – Adderley Amphitheater % 04/29 – Boca Raton, FL – Sunset Cove Amphitheater % 04/30 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound % 05/02 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 05/24 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre # 05/25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre # 06/13 – Manchester, Tennessee – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 07/01 – Leeds, England – Millennium Square 07/02 – Wasing, England – On the Mount at Wasing 07/03 – London, England – Alexandra Palace * 07/05 – Ghent, Belgium – Gent Jazz Festival 07/07 – Lucca, Italy – Summer Festival 07/09 – Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive Festival 07/10 – Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live 07/11 – Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botanico 07/25 – Eugene, OR – Autzen Stadium ^ 09/19 – Dover, DE – The Woodlands ^
The Alabama House of Representatives passed HB527 on Tuesday, delivering an Alabama overtime tax cut of up to $1,000 on qualified overtime pay and adding a 60-day grocery tax holiday, combining for a total fiscal impact of $83.4 million.
HB527, sponsored by State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville), would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $1,000 in overtime pay from their state taxable income each year beginning in 2026. The deduction expires after 2028 unless extended.
The bill’s initial fiscal note was $37.4 million. State Rep. Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) offered an amendment on the floor to attach the 60-day grocery tax holiday, bringing the total fiscal note to $83.4 million.
The bill mirrors President Trump’s “no tax on overtime” policy included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, applying similar relief at the state level.
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“The men and women working overtime shifts to provide for their families are also providing a significant boost to our state’s economy,” Lomax said. “I am proud to carry this legislation in an effort to support and thank them.”
The grocery tax holiday builds on existing legislative action on food costs. In 2023, the Legislature reduced the state grocery tax from 4 percent to 3 percent. During the 2025 session, the House accelerated that effort by cutting it further to 2 percent.
Alabama families are already saving roughly $236 a year from that existing cut, and the temporary two-month suspension of the remaining 2 percent would deliver roughly $40 in additional immediate relief for a typical family of four.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said the measure reflects a broader legislative push on affordability.
“With fuel prices surging and the price of beef and other essential items at the grocery store nearing all-time highs, it is imperative that state leaders double down on our efforts to lend a helping hand to Alabamians,” Ledbetter said. “Over the course of the last few weeks, I have worked with Governor Ivey and Senate leadership to determine the most expedient and impactful way to provide targeted relief, and we have determined that a 60-day grocery tax holiday presents the best opportunity to lift up every single Alabama family.”
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Since 2022, the Alabama Legislature has delivered more than $1.4 billion in tax cuts to working families and retirees statewide. HB527 now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Tuesday was the 25th legislative day. There are five days remaining in the session.
Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
