Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from the weekend.
Alabama football rolls to a 49-18 win over South Carolina
Alabama was able to avoid the slow starts that forced them to play from behind against Kentucky and Florida State in back-to-back weeks. Keelon Russell hit Lotzeir Brooks for a 75-yard touchdown on the Crimson Tide's fourth offensive snap. Russell threw three more touchdown passes in the first half, Red Morgan added a pick-six of LaNorris Sellers, and Alabama led 35-3 late in the second quarter.
Russell and Daniel Hill added touchdown runs in the second half as Alabama handled South Carolina with relative ease on the way to a 49-18 rout to move to 4-0.
Alabama beat South Carolina both physically and mentally. Josh Ford's dominance of Dylan Stewart led to the star edge rusher crashing out and taking multiple swings at the Alabama tight end.
It was the most complete performance of the season for Alabama. There was still a frustrating stretch of four straight empty possessions from the end of the second quarter extending through the third that allowed the Gamecocks to cut the Tide's lead to 35-18 at one point, but there wasn't much to complain about this weekend.
Alabama will now set its sights on an incredibly challenging five-game stretch, starting this weekend in Starkville against No. 16 Mississippi State.
Alabama moves up to No. 7 in the AP/Coaches Polls
Alabama moved up a spot in this week's polls following the 31-point win over South Carolina. The Crimson Tide is now No. 7 in both the AP and Coaches' polls.
Alabama opened the season at No. 13 and has steadily risen with a 4-0 start. This weekend's road matchup against unbeaten Mississippi State will give Kalen DeBoer and his team an opportunity to earn a marquee win that could allow them to jump up even further in the polls.
This next five-game stretch of games will decide the outcome of the season. A 3-2 mark will put Alabama in prime playoff position. A 4-1 mark would present this team as a serious national title contender.
Alabama soccer remains unbeaten in SEC play with 3-1 win over Oklahoma
Wes Hart's Alabama soccer team moved to 11-1 overall on the season and 4-0 in SEC play with a 3-1 road win over Oklahoma on Sunday. It was a quality win for the 7th ranked Crimson Tide over the 21st ranked Sooners.
Tied 0-0 near the end of the first half, Presley Williams put her first career goal into the back of the net to put the Tide up 1-0. Zamorah Malinoski added her first career goal early in the second half to build a comfortable 2-0 lead for Alabama.
In the 80th minute, Larkin Thomason put the game to bed with a goal off a Soph Martelli cross to give the Crimson Tide a 3-0 lead. Oklahoma added a late goal, but it was far too little and far too late for the Sooners.
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a home match against Ole Miss on Friday in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama volleyball falls to Ole Miss in straight sets to drop to 0-2 in SEC play
It has been a tough start to SEC play for Alabama volleyball. Following a 3-2 loss to LSU in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, the Crimson Tide lost in straight sets, 3-0, to Ole Miss back in Tuscaloosa on Sunday. It was the first home loss of the season for Bama.
Next up is a road trip to College Station for a match against Texas A&M on Friday, followed by Texas on Sunday in Austin.
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