Alabama @ South Carolina preview
Williams-Brice Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) South Carolina 6, Alabama 20
Top-ranked Alabama's last Southeastern Conference road trip saw the Crimson Tide needing a late rally to keep its regular-season winning streak intact with a 24-20 win at Arkansas.
No. 20 South Carolina hopes to finish the job the Razorbacks couldn't when Alabama visits Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
The defending national champions have won 29 consecutive regular-season games - and 19 straight overall - a streak that was in danger two weeks ago at Arkansas when the Razorbacks held a 20-7 lead in the third quarter.
The Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) had no such trouble last week against Florida, jumping out to a 24-0 lead and pounding the Gators 31-6 behind a dominant effort from a defense that leads the nation in points allowed (9.0 per game).
The Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) hope to catch Alabama off-guard after the showdown with the Gators, but South Carolina let its last ranked opponent off the hook in the second half.
South Carolina had a week off after a 35-27 loss at Auburn on Sept. 25 in which the Gamecocks let a late lead slip away thanks to four fourth-quarter turnovers. Senior quarterback Stephen Garcia lost two fumbles in the fourth quarter and was replaced by freshman Connor Shaw, whose two drives at the helm ended in interceptions.
Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore has injected life into the Gamecocks' ground game, averaging 91.5 rushing yards and scoring six rushing touchdowns through four games. The bulk of the yardage came in a 17-6 win against Georgia in which Lattimore rushed for 182 yards on 37 carries.
But running room is hard to find against the Crimson Tide - Alabama has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 games dating to 2007, the longest such streak in the nation.
That means the Gamecocks are likely to lean on their passing game, which has been plenty effective. Garcia has completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 743 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Garcia's favorite target has been sophomore Alshon Jeffery, who leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation with 124.5 receiving yards per game and leads the conference with 6.8 receptions per game.
The Gamecocks will need to put up some points to keep pace with Alabama's offense, which averages 37.8 points per game.
The Crimson Tide has leaned on its running game, even with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram missing the first two games of the season. In three games since coming back, Ingram has rushed for 355 yards (118.3 yards per game) and six touchdowns.
But he isn't even the team's leading rusher. That honor belongs to sophomore Trent Richardson, who has gained 419 yards and scored four touchdowns. Richardson also has scored a receiving touchdown and returned a 91-yard kickoff for a score.
Alabama is dangerous through the air as well, with senior quarterback Greg McElroy leading an efficient passing game. McElroy is undefeated as a starter dating back to high school. He has completed 69.9 percent of his passes for 983 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
McElroy's top receiver is junior Julio Jones, who has 24 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Jones injured his knee against Florida and is considered day-to-day.
Alabama leads the series 10-2, including a 3-1 mark in Columbia. The Crimson Tide beat the 22nd-ranked Gamecocks last year in Tuscaloosa, getting 246 rushing yards from Ingram in a 20-6 victory.
South Carolina is 0-4 all-time against the nation's top-ranked team.