Five takeaways from Alabama's fourth-quarter comeback against South Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama returned to the winning list with a 27-25 victory over South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but was it a good performance for the Crimson Tide to shake off a loss to Vanderbilt?

Spend any amount of time around Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama football team, and the term “1-0 mentality” will undoubtedly come to mind in some form. And Alabama was able to accomplish that this week with a win over South Carolina.

While many fans left the stadium frustrated after another chaotic finish — and there are certainly still things that need to be cleaned up and repaired — there are also encouraging signs from the game, starting with the fact that Alabama won. Three ranked teams lost this weekend, including two in the top 10. Two other top 10 teams had to go into overtime against unranked opponents. College football is messy and it's hard to win in the SEC.

Alabama is 5-1 (2-1 SEC) at the halfway point of the regular season after finding a way through the fourth quarter against the Gamecocks. Here are five takeaways from the Crimson Tide's second SEC win.

Jalen Milroe made some costly mistakes against South Carolina, including two interceptions and a safety. But the redshirt junior quarterback showed maturity in his determination to shake off the mistakes and make the plays when needed late in the fourth quarter.

Alabama trailed 19-14 early in the fourth quarter. Milroe threw his second interception of the game with 12:17 left. The defense was able to get the ball back from him on the next play with a fumble recovery.

Milroe capitalized on the turnover and found himself in the end zone three plays later for his second rushing touchdown of the day. After South Carolina missed a 51-yard field goal, Milroe led Alabama with a 10-play, 67-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to Germie Bernard on third-and-10 that tied Alabama's 27 -19 took the lead.

“Jalen played a great game,” Bernard said after the game. “He remains optimistic. He is a true leader and we always have his back no matter what. Just him being successful the whole game is what you want from a quarterback.”

Milroe finished 17 of 23 for 209 yards and 36 yards on the ground. He was sacked four times, a season high, and his two interceptions were a season high. When Alabama needed him most, the team captain delivered in the fourth quarter.

Depth and experience in the secondary was a key concern for Alabama heading into the season. Domani Jackson was the only cornerback on the team with college reps and was consistently Alabama's best cornerback this season.

When Jackson temporarily left the game early in the second quarter with what was initially a potentially serious injury, Alabama's secondary suffered a major blow. According to HaHa Clinton-Dix, Alabama's director of player development, Jackson was carted to the locker room and given an X-ray.

With Jackson out, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack began using many young players at corner, including Jaylen Mbakwe, Zabien Brown and Zavier Mincey – all true freshmen. Mincey was hit on South Carolina's first touchdown late in the first half, when the Gamecocks scored on a 36-yard pass on fourth-and-nine. Due to Alabama's lack of experience in the secondary, particularly at corner, Jackson would be one of the most difficult players to permanently replace due to injury.

Luckily for Alabama, Jackson was able to come back in the second half and made the game-winning interception on the final play of the game, with the Crimson Tide leading by just two points. It was his second interception this season.

“The guy wants to play,” DeBoer said of Jackson. “He has had a great season so far and we have great confidence in him. We wanted to use him at the right time and in the right moments in the second half when they performed.”

“Again, it’s about finding a way to pass the ball through and focus on the ball – it might seem like an easy choice, but you still have to be there and make the play. I'm definitely proud of the fight he showed and his desire to do it again. I'll be back out there, especially considering he went down earlier in the game.

After the Alabama defense allowed a late touchdown with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide only had a two-point lead. Everyone in the stadium knew South Carolina would attempt an onside kick, and the ball bounced through the hands of three Alabama players before being recovered by the Gamecocks.

“With the onside kick, we talk about being 1-0 and focusing on the next play,” DeBoer said. “From day one I've said the ball is a funny shaped object – it bounces so we just have to grab it. That didn’t happen, but the effort was there.”

But the onside kick wasn't the only special teams mistake. For the second straight game, Emmanuel Henderson fumbled a kickoff return. Luckily for him, Alabama recovered both times. The Crimson Tide also assessed a costly personal foul penalty on a kickoff return that ultimately resulted in Alabama being pinned deep in its own territory, leading to the safety.

This isn't necessarily a problem and can be viewed as a good thing because it means Alabama is taking advantage of its opportunities in the red zone, but transfer kicker Graham Nicholson has only made two one-game field goals attempted in Alabama's first six games. There will likely be a moment this year, whether in the regular season or the playoffs, when the Crimson Tide will need Nicholson to make a big breakthrough. Will he be ready for the moment?

When talking about Alabama's special teams, it's important to note that punter James Burnip has been a star on special teams this season and one of the best weapons on the team overall. He averaged 47.7 yards per punt against South Carolina, and all three of his punts were returned inside 20 yards.

Alabama's defense has struggled at times this season, showing both good and bad moments against South Carolina. One thing they have done well is force turnovers.

The Crimson Tide defense had four turnovers on Saturday, bringing its season total to 12. And some of the turnovers came at critical times, helping to put the offense in scoring position or to erase an offense mistake.

But Alabama is still looking for its first non-offensive touchdown in the first six games, whether on defense or special teams. NOTs can cause large swings in momentum and obviously make a big difference on the scoreboard. Wommack has spoken occasionally this season about some of the missed opportunities Alabama had because of his failure to score on defense.

Alabama freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams made his presence felt in the season opener, but took the college football world by storm with his 177-yard performance against Georgia, which included the game-winning touchdown.

The highly touted 17-year-old got off to a fast start to his college career with at least one touchdown in each of Alabama's first five games. He was the team's leading receiver in Saturday's game against South Carolina with 19 catches for 544 yards and 6 touchdowns.

That touchdown streak came to an end on Saturday and the freshman had his quietest game yet with just four catches for 32 yards. He was still heavily involved in the offense and was a frequent target of Milroe, scoring a total of six goals to equalize Bernard.

Williams' performance on Saturday wasn't a cause for concern, and the fact that he's still one of Milroe's favorite targets means there's a good chance he can start a new touchdown streak in the next game against Tennessee.

See also: Alabama's third-down defense is still problematic, despite statistical evidence

Notebook: Germie Bernard scores a clutch touchdown for Alabama in the final minutes

Everything South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said after falling to No. 7 Alabama