Tuscaloosa, AL. — The second game of the Kalen DeBoer era in Alabama was nowhere near perfect, but a win is a win. Alabama escaped a scare from USF for the second straight season, beating the Bulls 42-16, improving its record to 2-0.
FIRST QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—FIELD GOAL South Florida: John Cannon 34-yard field goal (13 plays, 60 yards)
South Florida 3, Alabama 0 | 11:26
—Touchdown Alabama: Jalen Milroe 10-yard touchdown rush (10 plays, 65 yards)
South Florida 3, Alabama 7 | 5:08
Key play:
On Alabama’s second drive of the game, Jalen Milroe looked for freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams on third & long. Despite Milroe and Williams initially not connecting, a defensive pass-interference call extended the drive for Alabama. The Tide not only avoided a costly second straight three-and-out to begin the game, but they also marched down the field and eventually scored on a 10-yard rush by Jalen Milroe to take the lead over South Florida.
Player of the quarter:
Mike linebacker Jihaad Campbell made a critical third down stop twice in the opening quarter. On the Bulls’ opening drive, Campbell combined with Tim Keenan to break a pass from Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown, forcing USF to settle for three. On the third defensive series of the night, Campbell stopped a Brown scramble one yard short of the sticks, forcing the Bulls to punt back to the Crimson Tide.
SECOND QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—FIELD GOAL South Florida: John Cannon 25-yard field goal (9 plays, 50 yards)
South Florida 6 Alabama 7 | 9:45
—Touchdown Alabama: Jalen Milroe 10-yard touchdown rush (10 plays, 65 yards)
South Florida 6, Alabama 14 | 3:28
Key play:
After USF drew within one point of the Tide early in the second quarter, the Bulls had Alabama on a third-and-five on the ensuing possession after a 53-yard reception by Kobe Prentice was called back due to offsetting penalties. Jalen Milroe felt the pressure early on third down but climbed up in the pocket and found tight end CJ Dippre for a 12-yard connection, extending the drive for Alabama, where they eventually added their second touchdown of the half.
Player of the quarter:
Jalen Milroe led the Crimson Tide offense down the field for its second scoring drive of the night, capping it off with his second rushing touchdown of the contest and his fourth of the season. The drive lasted 11 plays and took just over six minutes off the clock, Milroe connecting on four of five passes through the air. The junior would have scored a 74-yard rushing touchdown on the following drive if it hadn't been called back due to a holding penalty.
THIRD QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—Touchdown South Florida: Ta’Ron Keith 2-yard touchdown rush (5 plays, 39 yards)
South Florida 13, Alabama 14 | 9:35
Key play:
After scoring their first touchdown of the game and forcing an Alabama three-and-out, USF had the ball with a chance to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter; Alabama’s defense stopped them. When the Bulls faced a third-and-seven, Tim Keenan sacked Byrum Brown for an eight-yard loss, contributing to a strong quarter for Keenan.
Player of the quarter:
Alabama struggled in a sloppy start to the half, but Tim Keenan kept the team afloat by recording 1.5 sacks in the third quarter. Besides the USF touchdown drive, Keenan's sacks also helped force two three-and-outs for the Alabama defense.
FOURTH QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—Touchdown Alabama: Kobe Prentice 16-yard touchdown reception from Jalen Milroe (4 plays, 34 yards)
South Florida 13, Alabama 21 | 10:04
—FIELD GOAL South Florida: John Cannon 22-yard field goal (8 plays, 71 yards)
South Florida 16, Alabama 21 | 6:45
—Touchdown Alabama: Ryan Williams 43-yard touchdown reception from Jalen Milroe (3 plays, 75 yards)
South Florida 16, Alabama 28 | 5:50
—Touchdown Alabama: Jam Miller 56-yard touchdown rush (2 plays, 60 yards)
South Florida 16, Alabama 35 | 2:30
—Touchdown Alabama: Justice Haynes 29-yard touchdown rush (1 play, 29 yards)
South Florida 16, Alabama 42 | 1:37
Key play:
Alabama missed a golden scoring opportunity when Jalen Milroe fumbled a snap at the four-yard line; however, the Tide defense stepped up on the ensuing drive, forcing a punt. On the return, true freshman Jaylen Mbakwe fielded his first punt of the season and set Alabama back up in scoring position with a 28-yard return. The return helped spark a lifeless Alabama offense, which scored a lead-extending touchdown and ended an eight-drive scoring drought.
Player of the quarter:
Despite a costly fumble at the four-yard line, Jalen Milroe led the Alabama offense down the field for back-to-back touchdown drives, helping the Alabama offense escape with a victory. As opposed to a first half with two rushing touchdowns, Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice and Ryan Williams for two passing touchdowns.
GAME BALLS
—Tim Keenan - the redshirt junior, kept Alabama alive in the third quarter, totaling 1.5 sacks and helping force a duo of three-and-outs. Keenan also tallied 2.5 tackles for loss. Keenan came up clutch in the fourth quarter, being critical on a third down stop, which forced USF to settle for three points.
—Jihaad Campbell - for the second straight week, Jihaad Campbell led Alabama in tackles and earns a game ball. Campbell was nearly centimeters away from intercepting a pass on USF’s first drive but dropped it. The junior supplemented the missed opportunity, totaling 11 tackles, .5 sacks and 1.5 TFLs.
—James Burnip - Burnip was called on seven times throughout the game and delivered on almost every punt. The Australian totaled 300 yards with his leg, with three of them going 50+ yards.
—Jam Miller - Jam Miller capped off a strong performance on the ground with a game-clinching 56-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter. The junior totaled 140 yards on the ground and averaged 9.3 yards per carry in week two.
