NO. 2 ALABAMA (2-0, 0-0 SEC) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (1-1, 0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019
3:30 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
VIDEO & RADIO
CBS & 97.3/99.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
Alabama averaged a healthy 231.5 rushing yards a game and 6.3 yards per carry through opening triumphs over Duke and New Mexico State, but a 75-yard dash by receiver Henry Ruggs III and a 74-yarder by reserve running back Keilan Robinson skewed those numbers somewhat. The Crimson Tide's top two running backs, Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr., have yet to break out, with Harris having rushed for a respectable 120 yards and 5.0 yards per carry and Robinson 66 yards and 3.3 a rush. "We really need to make improvement in the running game, and that's with everyone," coach Nick Saban said this week. "I think our runners have to do a better job of running the tracks we need them to run to make the defense react a certain way and get the defenders to come to the blocks. The offensive line is taking angles to block people assuming that's going to happen, and we haven't been consistent enough with that. We need to get all that cleaned up." Alabama will be facing a defense that was embarrassed in an opening loss to North Carolina, when the Gamecocks surrendered 238 rushing yards on 52 carries.
ONE TO WATCH
The Gamecocks bounced back from the defeat with a 72-10 rout of Charleston Southern, which marked a successful coming-out party for freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski. The top-100 national prospect in the 2019 signing class replaced senior Jake Bentley, who's out for the year with a foot injury, and completed 24 of 30 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Now his challenge is Alabama. "I think Ryan has a really good mindset," South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said. "He watches a lot of tape, and he's a confident young man in his abilities to help us move the ball and score points. The opponent is much different from last week, but we've got to play well around him again."
IN THE END
South Carolina is the only Southeastern Conference program to win its most recent game against Alabama - 35-21 back in 2010 - but the Gamecocks won't be able to say that after this one. League coaches voted 10 Alabama players to their preseason All-SEC first team, but it included no Gamecocks.
PREDICTION
Alabama 38, South Carolina 10
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.