TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The 42-16 scoreline will deceive those who didn’t watch Alabama’s win over South Florida on Saturday. The Crimson Tide pulled away from USF in the fourth quarter after a lackluster start had the Bulls within a point at the end of the third.

While Alabama ultimately overcame a nervy first three quarters, self-inflicted wounds due to costly penalties were a big part of the unflattering 14-13 scoreline heading into the fourth. Alabama had nine offensive penalties for 70 yards, including six holding calls and three false starts against the offensive line.

“It’s hard to overcome second-and-long, third-and-long situations,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “So we had to learn some lessons the hard way tonight, no doubt about it.”

Two of Alabams’s holding calls cost the team touchdowns from explosive plays in the first half. Justice Haynes had a 21-yard touchdown run called back in the first quarter, while a Jalen Milroe 74-yard scamper was also wiped off the board in the second quarter. Both plays were flagged for holding calls on the offensive line.

“I say it’s more mental than anything,” Tide center Parker Brailsford said. “Just knowing when you need to let go, knowing when the ball carrier is in front of you, not holding onto the jersey or whatever. It’s a very mental thing.”

When Alabama cleared up its mistakes in the final period, it dominated. The Crimson Tide was not called for an offensive penalty in the fourth quarter and scored 21 unanswered points while averaging 14.6 yards per play on offense.

“When we didn’t hold and we were moving the ball forward, good things were happening,” DeBoer said. “But we have to do it on consecutive plays over and over and over again and have sustained drives.”

Alabama’s limitations on its offensive line played into its lack of sustainability Saturday. The Crimson Tide was without left tackle Kadyn Proctor, while Elijah Pritchett did not see the field until the fourth quarter. After the game, DeBoer said Pritchett was dealing with a lingering injury suffered against Western Kentucky.

The injuries saw the Tide shift left guard Tyler Booker outside to left tackle while Geno VanDeMark was inserted at left guard. VanDeMark was responsible for three of Alabama’s penalties, while right tackle Wilkin Formby also had a game to forget after a strong performance last week. Formby was also penalized three times and was eventually replaced by Pritchett in the fourth quarter.

DeBoer said that Alabama is expecting its offensive line to be in better shape going forward. While the Tide works to get Proctor and Pritchett healthy, Saturday’s contest served as a wake-up call for Alabama to limit the silly mistakes that can kill drives and negate explosive plays.

“The holding penalties, the stupid things, we just need to be more disciplined,” Brailsford said. “We’re going to work on that in practice, obviously, but we’re going to get back to it.”

As Alabama takes the next step up in its opposition with a road trip to Wisconsin next week, the Tide is looking to get more consistent when it comes to executing on both short and long drives. The penalties and mental errors that Alabama faced against South Florida highlight improvement areas for the offensive line for when Alabama has to methodically work its way down the field against a higher-quality opponent.

“Last week, we probably didn’t get in that position where we had to sustain drives,” DeBoer said. “We were moving the ball, we were explosive. The ball went downfield. Guys made huge runs. But that mindset has to carry over from this week into next week in the understanding that we have to grind the ball. We have to grind it out once in a while, it can’t just be explosive plays, and with that comes executing.”