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Extra thoughts and notes from Alabama’s ugly win over South Carolina

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Extra thoughts and notes from Alabama’s ugly win over South Carolina


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 vs. South Carolina 2025
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.

MFB
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

  1. Deep passes
  2. 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.

MFB
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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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Alabama

How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28

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How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28


Labaron Philon’s No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-7, 11-4 SEC) hit the road to match up with Ja’Kobi Gillespie and the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 10-5 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, Feb. 28. The game starts at 6 p.m. ET.

We have more details below, including how to watch this matchup on ESPN.

Prepare for this matchup with everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s college hoops action.

Tennessee vs. Alabama: How to watch on TV or live stream

  • Game day: Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Game time: 6 p.m. ET
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

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Tennessee vs. Alabama stats and trends

  • Tennessee ranks 78th in the nation with 80.5 points per game so far this year. At the other end, it ranks 62nd with 69.1 points allowed per contest.
  • The Volunteers are thriving when it comes to rebounding, as they rank third-best in college basketball in boards (39.9 per game) and second-best in rebounds allowed (25.9 per contest).
  • So far this season, Tennessee ranks 30th in college basketball in assists, averaging 17.1 per game.
  • With 11.8 turnovers per game, the Volunteers are 257th in the country. They force 10.7 turnovers per contest, which ranks 224th in college basketball.
  • This season, Tennessee is making 6.9 threes per game (271st-ranked in college basketball) and is shooting 34.7% (139th-ranked) from three-point land.
  • With a 30.2% three-point percentage allowed this season, the Volunteers are 22nd-best in the country. They rank 182nd in college basketball by giving up 7.8 three-pointers per contest.
  • Tennessee has taken 67.3% two-pointers and 32.7% three-pointers this year. Of the team’s buckets, 75.8% are two-pointers and 24.2% are three-pointers.

Tennessee vs. Alabama Odds and Spread

  • Spread Favorite: Volunteers (-4.5)
  • Moneyline: Tennessee (-222), Alabama (+179)
  • Total: 164.5 points

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 4:11 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.



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Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch

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Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Losing to a rival almost always hurts more than falling to another opponent during the regular season. Years of hatred, unforgettable moments and tradition boiled up into one game, and the delivery is nowhere to be found for one team.

No. 17 Alabama has won seven straight games and is eyeing an eighth on Saturday on the road against No. 22 Tennessee. This is the second time that Crimson Tide will face the Volunteers, as Alabama lost in Tuscaloosa in January.

The loss a month ago to head coach Rick Barnes and company brought UA’s losing streak against Tennessee to five games. It’s the first time that the Tide has dropped this many games to the Vols since 1968-72 — a streak that came two years before Alabama head coach Nate Oats was born (Oct. 13, 1974). It’s why Oats is not treating Tennessee as a faceless opponent or like any other team the Tide has faced.

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“Every year we’ve been here they’ve caused us issues,” Oats said during Friday’s press conference. “Our players, are fully aware that we’ve lost five in a row. They’re fully aware of what happened out there last year. I’ve taken ownership for my share of what happened up there last year.

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“We’re fully aware that they beat us at home. We haven’t lost very many home games in conference, period, really since we’ve been here, and they handed us one this year.”

After falling to Florida on Feb. 1, Alabama moved down to the ninth spot in the conference standings, and the college basketball world started to question whether or not the Crimson Tide would be a threat in the postseason.

But a switch flipped after that loss, and the current winning streak has Alabama tied for the No. 2 spot in the SEC standings. Everything seems to be trending in the Tide’s direction, as there are only three games remaining on the schedule.

Oats is in his sixth year as Alabama’s head coach. Following the retirement of former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl during the offseason, Oats became the second-longest tenured coach for one team in the conference. The coach in front of him: Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who has held his position since the 2015-16 season.

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Both Alabama and Tennessee have finished conference play in the top-4 of the standings since the 2022-23 season. The Crimson Tide was the regular-season and SEC Tournament champions in both the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons, while the Vols won the 2022 SEC Tournament and were the conference’s regular-season champions in 2023-24.

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“So our guys know, but at the same time, we’ve got a lot of respect for how they play and what they do. We’ve got to come in with a healthy amount of respect for them, but we got to try to win this game.

“There’s a lot riding on this game. What happens in Arkansas-Florida, you’re either going to be all alone in second place if we could get a win, or you’re going to be one game out first. If you take a loss, now you’re in danger of losing a top-4 seed. They’ll be tied with us if we take a loss.”

“So there’s a lot riding on the SEC standings in this game here. They know that. They know what our struggles against Tennessee have Been as well.”

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Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city

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Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city


SELMONT, Ala. (WSFA) – An unincorporated community in Dallas County is seeking to establish itself as an independent city, hoping to gain control over local government services and community priorities that have long been managed at the county level.

Selmont, located across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, is home to approximately 2,700 registered voters and carries a significant place in civil rights history.

The community was the site of a pivotal moment during the Bloody Sunday march in 1965, when roughly 600 civil rights marchers were tear-gassed by Alabama state troopers, including 13-year-old Mae Richmond.

“People ask us ‘Were we afraid?’ No. We were not afraid. We were not afraid, first of all, even as a 13-year-old child, we knew that we were doing what God was permitting us to do,” Richmond, a 60-plus year resident of Selmont, said of the historic event.

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As an unincorporated community, Selmont lacks its own municipal government. Residents must contact the Dallas County Commissioner for public works services. It’s a situation that community leaders say limits responsiveness to local needs.

Erice Williams, a community activist leading the incorporation effort, said the change would fundamentally alter how the community operates.

“It would give us decision power and allow us to get funding that we can allocate to our own community that we can make our own priorities be clear and resolved at the same time,” Williams said.

Williams also highlighted the strain on current county services. “Connel Towns (county commissioner) is the only person we have to call, and the resources and time that he would have to serve our community is very limited,” he said.

Operation Selmont, the group spearheading the incorporation effort, is currently gathering signatures on a petition to present to the local probate judge. The organization needs approximately 500 signatures to move forward with the incorporation process and has already collected 40 percent of its goal.

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The next meeting for Operation Selmont is scheduled for March 6 at 6 p.m.

For longtime residents like Richmond, incorporation represents an opportunity to ensure Selmont’s future and maintain its identity for generations to come.

“That we will be able to teach and train our children to give them the strength that our foreparents had that they will be able to stand up for justice and for equality,” Richmond said of her hopes for the community’s future.

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