Courtesy of three Stephen Garcia touchdown passes (two to Alshon Jeffery) and a three touchdown effort by Marcus Lattimore, the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, 35-21.
Prior to Saturday afternoon, the Gamecocks had never defeated a No. 1 team in football. However, once the day was done, the Tide had been “rolled”…and South Carolina was the talk of the nation.
In a game which reminded many Alabama fans of the contest with Arkansas, the Tide fell in a hole during in the initial period of play.
Alabama kicked an early field goal to take a 3-0 lead, but South Carolina would quickly take control of the game thanks to an amazing effort by quarterback Stephen Garcia and a rocking crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The Gamecocks led 21-9 at the half, but in typical and certainly expected fashion, Alabama rallied.
Following a safety and a Tide field goal, the lead was cut to 21-14, however the biggest opportunity for Alabama would come in the latter stages of the game.
South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was “all world” against the Crimson Tide, however a pass he should have caught, turned into an interception by Alabama defensive back Will Lowery.
However, the Tide scoring attempt would stall and a fake field goal would prove unsuccessful.
In retrospect, the inability of Alabama to produce after forcing a critical turnover certainly proved to be a major factor in the final result.
After the missed scoring opportunity for Alabama, the Gamecocks would orchestrate a 75-yard drive which would culminate in a Marcus Lattimore 2-yard touchdown run.
When the game was over the Alabama 19-game winning streak had been
snapped…and the No. 1 team had been trampled.
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