Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from the weekend, including football's great escape at Williams-Brice and basketball's exhibition blowout of Furman.
Alabama escapes South Carolina with 29-22 win
It wasn't pretty, but Alabama dug deep in the 4th quarter to scratch and claw its way to a win over South Carolina before a much-needed gauntlet that would have made lesser teams fold.
Alabama trailed 22-14 with under 10 minutes to play, but Ty Simpson engineered a masterful game-tying drive after not having his best day to that point. Ryan Grubb dialed up some beautiful play calls, including the touchdown to Germie Bernard and the two-point conversion to Josh Cuevas.
A timely forced fumble by Deontae Lawson put the ball back in the offense's hands, and Bernard punched in the game-winning touchdown on a 25-yard run. The win was the seventh in a row for Alabama since the season-opening loss to Florida State. It also ends a five-game SEC gauntlet that featured four straight ranked opponents before setting up a trap game in Columbia.
A tip of the cap to DeBoer and this team. They deserve a week off as much as any team ever has.
Kalen DeBoer praises Alabama's resiliency
There's plenty that Alabama needs to work on during the bye week to ultimately reach its goal of winning the National Championship. But the most encouraging thing about this team is that they are far from the finished product that they can be, and yet they've still won seven games in a row and beaten multiple quality opponents on the road to get to that point.
Alabama's ability to execute under tense situations will give it a significant leg up come playoff time. And the win over South Carolina was a big step toward Alabama getting there.
"I think the story of the game is resiliency," DeBoer said.
Ty Simpson talks about the secret sauce for Alabama
Alabama's win over South Carolina can best be described by calling it a "culture win." That win happened because Alabama's locker room leadership is strong. Nobody was hanging their heads when things went south and the Tide trailed by eight in the fourth quarter.
Unlike last season, this Alabama team has the ability to stare adversity in the face and not blink. They've done it time and time again, pulling out close wins over Georgia, Missouri, and now South Carolina on the road. These are games Alabama probably doesn't win a year ago.
Simpson credited the tight-knit bond of the locker room for the win.
"The amount of ‘I got your back’s' in that locker room right now is amazing," Simpson said after the game. "I’ve never felt that in a locker room before - the amount of trust, having each other’s backs. The amount of love we have for one another is like no other."
Men's basketball blows out Furman 96-71 in final exhibition
In Alabama's second and final exhibition before the start of the regular season, the Crimson Tide rolled over Furman 96-71 on the road on Sunday.
The Tide's effort on the defensive end was much better than the first exhibition against Florida State. Aden Holloway led Alabama in scoring with 18 points. Labaron Philon added 16 points. Those two form a devastating offensive backcourt, and with Holloway being more aggressive and pesky as a defender, they could form one of the best backcourt duos in the country.
Alabama will open the regular season next Monday at Coleman Coliseum against North Dakota before beginning a four-game gauntlet against highly-ranked opponents.
Women's basketball dominates North Florida in final exhibition
Kristy Curry's team also finished off its exhibition schedule with an even more dominant win over North Florida on Sunday. Alabama won 93-44, outscoring North Florida 60-22 in the second half to blow the game open.
Jessica Timmons led the way with 20 points for the Crimson Tide. Diana Collins (11), Lourdes Da Silva Costa (11), and Naomi Jones (11) also finished in double figures.