Alabama hosted South Florida for what should have been a boring salary-game. Instead, we got an ugly, error-filled affair that left Alabama in serious contention as a 30-point favorite.

The first half was abysmal. The offensive line was called upon to make seemingly every explosive play the Tide could muster, and all but one of them seemed like good decisions. Jalen Milroe tried his best to push the ball down the field, but the deep ball just wouldn’t connect. Fortunately, his legs worked well enough to score twice, and the Tide took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

The second half started out disastrously. Kendrick Law made a great return of the opening kickoff, but dropped the ball in midfield. South Florida recovered and immediately got a first down via a penalty on a facemask by Jihaad Campbell. The defense bent over from there and got the stop, which ended in a long missed field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the offense squandered the opportunity, Milroe suffering a ridiculous loss on a sack after a bad Fran Tarkenton impersonation.

The defense managed another stop, only to see Jam Miller throw the ball back to South Florida at Alabama. This time, the defense was unable to rise, and with 9:35 left in the third quarter, the Bulls pulled within 14-13. The rest of the third quarter was just as dismal, as neither team had much luck moving the ball thanks to penalties. By the start of the fourth quarter, Alabama’s offensive line alone had nine accepted penalties. Right tackle Wilkin Formby was the worst offender.

On the final play of the third quarter, Cole Adams converted a third down and got injured in the process. That put Milroe and his team in a first-and-goal situation from the five to open the final quarter. After Robbie Outzs caught a pass in the flat and made little effort to get to the cone, Milroe went under center and promptly dropped the snap. For those wondering why shotgun/pistol teams stick to their typical short-range formations, here’s why. The goal line is not a place to use something that gets limited repetition.

The defense rose again and forced a three-and-out. Jaylen Mbakwe made a nice punt return in place of Adams, putting the Alabama offense back in plus territory at the 34. Finally, the offense was able to capitalize when Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice through the middle for an eight-point lead at 21-13.

This time, it was Alabama’s defense that couldn’t handle the onslaught. Bulls RB Nay’quon Wright hit two explosive runs to get around a targeting penalty on LB Justin Jefferson and South Florida found themselves inside the 10. QB Byrum Brown was stopped on third down at the five-yard line and the Bulls made the questionable decision to settle for three to get within five.

The Tide got the ball back with six minutes to play, and Elijah Pritchett came in for Formby. Whether that was the difference or not, things certainly improved. Jam Miller hit two successful runs right away, then Ryan Williams caught a hiccup, made a move and ran to the endzone for a 43-yard score. After a last-ditch stand by the defense, Miller put the nail in the coffin with a long touchdown run. Judge Haynes added another in garbage time for a final score of 42-16 that belies the way the game played out.

We’ll have more on this game tomorrow. Needless to say, the Tide needs to get some stiffies fixed soon, because things are only going to get significantly tougher from here.

There’s another ball for you tonight.

Tides are rolling.