TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – There are SEC teams that pride themselves on their calm, relentless march to victory, and there are teams that live in chaos, with every game an adventure where victories are not assured, but madness is. Alabama was one of the former teams. Now, in the Kalen DeBoer-Jalen Milroe era, it’s mostly the latter.

You’d never get anyone within a hundred miles of Tuscaloosa to admit it, but last week’s loss to Vanderbilt roiled the Tide to its core. You could see it in the secondary ticket market, which collapsed in the hours after last week. You could see it Saturday in the empty seats all over the upper reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium. And you could see it in the final 97 seconds of the first half, where the Tide defense completely fell apart, allowing 12 points – on three separate possessions – to the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks.

Yes, Alabama won, in a very unconvincing 27-25 victory after intercepting South Carolina in the final seconds on a potential game-winning drive.

The Gamecocks were stopped in the final minute on a potential two-point tying goal, and they got another shot in when they recovered the ensuing onside kick. But Domani Jackson picked off SC quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the final seconds to save the day for the Tide.

But wow, is there trouble in T-Town?

It makes sense, the Tide’s shaken self-image. When you establish your identity based on generational expectations of excellence, you’re not exactly built to handle the sledgehammer to the heart of a loss to Vanderbilt. If the sun rose blue in the west, that would also be quite disturbing.

Alabama had a chance to redeem itself for that Vanderbilt faceplant with a home game against South Carolina, but inexplicably fell far short of expectations. Instead, the Tide did a ton to cement the idea that the crew that hung straight on Georgia was the aberration, and the team that ran against the Commodores is a lot closer to the real Tide of 2024.

Alabama took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards into the end zone in four minutes, and for a moment the Crimson Tide’s fortunes seemed to have returned to the expected direction. When the Tide took a 14-0 lead with 4:38 to go in the first half, it wasn’t pretty, but hey, at least it was a two-possession lead, something the Tide never managed against Vanderbilt.

But then came the final 1:37 of the half, 97 seconds that defined this year’s Tide program and likely exploded Alabama QB Jalen Milroe’s Heisman hopes. First, Alabama’s defense suffered another stunning defensive error, allowing Gamecock receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. was able to get wide open in the end zone on a fourth and nine. That brought the lead back to 14-7.

On the ensuing possession, Milroe, under pressure, intentionally hit the ball on the ground, resulting in a safety. Alabama forced South Carolina to punt, but Milroe then threw the first of his two interceptions. The clock appeared to be running, but officials put back a second on the timer … and that’s never good news for Alabama. South Carolina kicked a field goal to close out the half and draw within 14-12.

The Gamecocks kept the rhythm going in the third, putting together a monstrous 16-play, 85-yard, 8.5-minute drive that ended in a go-ahead touchdown. The stunned look of what the hell is going on hung thick over Bryant-Denny Stadium, and when Milroe threw an interception in the end zone on the Tide’s next possession, disbelief turned to fatalism.

But this is the Alabama of 2024, where nothing goes as expected. On the next play, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers fumbled the ball away, and Alabama turned it into a touchdown to regain the lead in just 1:23.

From there, Milroe and crew righted the ship and held on for the win. Milroe provided some redemption by running for a 7-yard TD and throwing the game-tying 34-yard score to Germie Bernard on third-and-10 with less than two minutes left in the game.

Alabama fans could exhale for now.