The Alabama Crimson Tide narrowly avoided another upset, this time at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite the victory, they showed a remarkable lack of defensive awareness on the game-winning play.
The Tide required a fourth-quarter rally after falling behind 19-14 in the third quarter, but scored twice in the fourth to go ahead 27-19. Undeterred, South Carolina rallied for a touchdown, then recovered an onside kick after failing on a two-point conversion.
South Carolina failed to get anything going after recovering the onside kick, leaving them to attempt what amounted to a desperation heave on third down from just past midfield. The pass was intercepted by cornerback Domani Jackson, who made the pick inside the 5-yard line, then let his momentum carry him back into the end zone. Jackson was about to take a knee, but safety Malachi Moore quickly realized that could lead to a game-tying safety, and he was able to get that message across to Jackson so the cornerback could run the ball out of the end zone before going down.
Ultimate chaos on the final play! Alabama picks off and almost takes a knee which would have been a safety to tie the game! What a finish!#RollTide pic.twitter.com/cEYUFnwpW2
— CFB Saturday Slate w/ Mick N Bus (@CFB_SatSlate) October 12, 2024
It is not completely certain whether this would have been a safety, but Jackson did seem to establish possession outside the end zone before pulling back. At the very least, it was a risk that he simply could not afford to take.
South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor did not seem to realize the situation either, as he made no effort to try to tackle Jackson in the end zone, even though he seemed to have the opportunity.
Moore faced some criticism last week, when he threw an on-field fit at the end of Alabama’s upset loss to Vanderbilt. He certainly redeemed himself with his heads-up moment on Saturday.
