Keelon Russell threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as No. 8 Alabama rolled to a 49-18 win over South Carolina Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Russell finished 21-of-27 passing for 365 yards with no interceptions.
Ryan Coleman-Williams had five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference).
LaNorris Sellers rallied the Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2) to within 35-18 early in the fourth quarter and finished 18-of-30 for 185 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He ran for 72 yards.
Matt Fuller had 19 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks, who have lost seven straight conference games dating back to last season.
Fuller ran 56 yards to the Alabama 19 on the first play from scrimmage, but the drive stalled and Malik Orsan missed a 45-yard field goal attempt.
The Gamecocks moved the ball again on their next drive but turned it over on downs at the Crimson Tide 25. On the next play, Russell went deep to Lotzeir Brooks for a 75-yard touchdown.
Russell struck again on the final play of the first quarter when he waited in the pocket and found Coleman-Williams in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown.
Orsan’s 34 yard field goal pulled South Carolina within 14-3 with 10:52 left in the half.
Alabama then went 75 yards in six plays, with Russell waiting until Coleman-Williams broke open down the middle before hitting him for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 21-3.
After a punt, Alabama’s EJ Crowell broke off a 39-yard run. Russell then found Noah Rogers alone down the left sideline for 36 yards, and Josh Ford made a leaping one-handed touchdown catch with 2:33 left before half.
On the next play from scrimmage, Red Morgan intercepted Sellers and raced 23 yards for a touchdown, making it 35-3.
Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for a 41-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 35-10.
After a scoreless third quarter, Fuller capped a 75-yard drive when he scored on fourth-and-1 from the 9. The two-point-conversion rush by Maurice Brown II made it 35-18 with 14:29 left.
Russell completed all five passes on the ensuing Alabama drive, which was capped by Daniel Hill’s 1-yard plunge.
Russell’s 9-yard rushing score with two minutes remaining capped the scoring.
–Field Level Media
