A home loss to a 30.5-point underdog would have been a terrible outcome on a Saturday when Alabama named the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium after the recently retired Nick Saban.
New coach Kalen DeBoer was already under considerable pressure after taking over Saban and his seven national championships, but he managed to avoid an upset that would have increased the pressure significantly with a 41-16 victory over South Florida.
But at 11:50 minutes into the fourth quarter, the score was only one point and Saturday’s second big surprise seemed quite possible.
The Bulls missed a chance to tie the game at 14-14 in the third quarter. Tavin Ward recovered a fumble from Alabama’s Jam Miller and South Florida drove 39 yards in five plays, capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Ta’Ron Keith.
However, due to a false start penalty by Jack Wilty, a two-point conversion attempt was disallowed and the Bulls scored the extra point, putting them behind 14-13.
Alabama seemed to settle down and was ready to decide the game with an 11-play, 51-yard drive. But at the USF two-yard line, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe fumbled and Bernard Gooden of the Bulls recovered the ball.
South Florida failed to capitalize, however, failing to gain a first down on its next possession and electing to punt on fourth-and-1. Starting from their own 13-yard line, it was probably the right decision by head coach Alex Golish. But with just one yard to play for and a clear underdog to Alabama, going for the first down would have been a bold decision that might have paid off.
The decision to punt looked even worse when Alabama turned around and scored in four plays, with Kobe Prentice catching a 16-yard touchdown pass from Milroe for a 21-13 lead.
But South Florida rallied on the next drive, fighting its way down the field with two 19-yard runs by Nay’Quan Wright and a penalty on Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson. But USF could only gain five more yards, reaching the Tide’s four-yard line. Once again, Golish made a conservative decision, opting to kick a field goal to cut Alabama’s lead to 21–16 rather than go for the touchdown on fourth-and-four.
Settling for a field goal seemed like an even worse decision once the offensive floodgates opened for the Crimson Tide. Alabama scored touchdowns on its next three possessions, first on a 43-yard pass from Milroe to Ryan Williams, followed by another touchdown pass to Prentice and finally a 29-yard touchdown run by Justice Haynes.
Fans watching the final score may have no idea how close this game was in the fourth quarter and how nervous fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium became. But DeBoer’s offense came into its own in the final quarter, scoring 28 points and punishing Golish for not being bolder as a huge underdog. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s upset loss couldn’t be topped.
Alabama (2-0) travels to Wisconsin (2-0) next Saturday at noon ET for an SEC-Big Ten clash.
