COLUMBIA, S.C. _ South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp isn't known as much of a gambler. But against No. 2 Alabama at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, the Gamecocks went all in for the upset.
It just wasn't enough in a 47-23 loss that was widely expected but competitive early before the powerhouse Crimson Tide imposed their will.
Going up against 'Bama coach Nick Saban, his former boss, Muschamp made aggressive play calls, clearly hoping to gain whatever advantage he could in a game where South Carolina (1-2) was the 26-point underdog.
In the first quarter, with the Gamecocks trailing 7-3 and facing fourth down at Alabama's 33-yard line, Muschamp made his first gambit. Rather than have junior kicker Parker White try for a career-long 50-yard field goal, he called for a fake, and White seemed to be sprung free along the sideline, scampering for a touchdown to put the Gamecocks ahead.
But the play came back on a holding penalty against tight end Will Markway that CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said on air was the right call. Muschamp strongly disagreed, but the Gamecocks had to punt the ball away.
Freshman quarterback Ryan Hilinski was just as aggressive as his coach, though, frequently taking shots downfield and challenging the Alabama defense with a quick tempo. It paid off near the end of the first quarter when he found junior receiver Shi Smith for a 31-yard score, dropping a pass in perfectly against double coverage to narrow the Gamecocks' deficit to 14-10.
A fake punt went nowhere midway through the second quarter, but the Gamecocks still got the ball back just before halftime and drove 74 yards to Alabama's four-yard line, trailing 24-10. Senior running back Rico Dowdle ran and was called down at the one, much to Muschamp's chagrin.
But after a pair of incompletions, Muschamp decided to go for it fourth down. Hilinski's pass to sophomore wideout Josh Vann in the back of the end zone was just out of reach, however, and South Carolina went into the break trailing by two scores.
All told, as aggressive and crafty as Muschamp and the Gamecocks' offense tried to get, Carolina's defense could not contain Alabama's attack, led by Heisman candidate QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide got off to a roaring start, going 65 yards in five plays to score the game's first touchdown in fewer than 100 seconds. That set the tone for a dominant performance _ Tagovailoa completed 28 of 36 attempts for 444 yards and five touchdowns.
In particular, the Gamecocks were gashed by chunk plays _ passes of 15 or more yards and runs of 10 or more. The Crimson Tide had 15 such plays on the afternoon, including passing touchdowns of 81, 42, 42 and 24 yards.
After halftime, Alabama scored two touchdowns to two field goals from South Carolina, as the game slipped steadily out of reach. Still, Muschamp wasn't done with his trickery _ early in the fourth quarter, he called for a surprise onside kick with Carolina down 34-16, but it failed.
With favorable field position, Alabama quickly scored to essentially seal the victory, while Hilinski added a garbage-time touchdown pass in the final few seconds.
