GALLERY: Alabama Survives Gamecock Trap Game

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Alabama took a major step in the Kalen DeBoer era. Last year, the Crimson Tide faced three inferior opponents away from Bryant-Denny Stadium (Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Michigan) and lost all three games. In week one, Alabama faced an inferior opponent in Florida State and lost that game. It's no secret that Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide gets up for top-25 games, but the Tide consistently got punched in the mouth and struggled against bad football teams.

Get our free mobile app

For three quarters on Saturday, that storyline looked to be rearing its ugly head yet again. The South Carolina Gamecocks had dominated time of possession and were more physical than Alabama. But in the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide flipped the switch and reminded the country that this is a national title contender.

It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't efficient, but Alabama won a gritty game on the road, 29-22, over South Carolina. Quarterback Ty Simpson, yet again, threw two touchdowns (bringing his season total to 20), and Alabama's big-time players made big-time plays when Alabama needed them most. Deontae Lason stripped South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, and five plays later, wide receiver Germie Bernard took the Wildcat snap 25 yards around the Alabama sideline for a 25-yard touchdown.

The gritty performance earned Alabama its seventh win on the season, as the Crimson Tide advanced to 7-1 on the season, and 5-0 in SEC play. Check out the victory in a photo gallery!

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.