Alabama's Offensive Line in For Toughest Test Yet in Gamecocks Defensive Front

The Crimson Tide faces three of the best defensive linemen in the conference on Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks edge Kyle Kennard (5) celebrates after a fourth down stop against the LSU Tigers in the third quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide has its hands full this Saturday as they look to bounce back from last week's loss with the South Carolina Gamecocks coming to Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks haven't gotten their year off to an ideal start, losing to LSU and Ole Miss, but South Carolina has aspects on its team that can give the Crimson Tide trouble.

The South Carolina Gamecocks, under defensive coordinator Clayton White have one of the best defensive fronts in all of college football. The Garnett and Black is tied for 14th in the nation for most sacks with 15 due to the defense's ability to disguise pressure using multiple looks.

"They do show multiple fronts. They move around with a lot of games inside," Alabama offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said. "They've got two premiere pass rushers on the edges. Even with the guys that come in for them, they do a good job. I would say they probably have the best interior pass rusher of the kids that we've seen this year. Their backers are downhill. They are a fast, aggressive and try to play violent and they do a really good job of what they're supposed to do there.

"I saw a PFF thing that said where it said their D-Line was the number one D-Line in the country. We have a challenge ahead of us. We've been working hard and so I'm kind of anxious to see how we match up. There's some things we have to handle with the movement and different things like that and then at some point, it's going to be guys are going to have to win their box and win their one-on-one battles."

In the video compilation below the Gamecocks can be seen rushing four, five or even six on occasion against their three SEC opponents.

The group showed unbalanced fronts with three rushers to one side and two on the other against LSU, manipulating the splits in order to create gaps in protection.

The defensive front against Kentucky won several times rushing just four without any twists or games. The Gamecocks held their rush lanes as a unit preventing Kentucky's Brock Vandagriff from escaping and using his mobility.

The versatility of the front allows White to get creative calling the defense and could result in a frustrating day for the Alabama offense on Saturday. Will he send the defensive front after Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe or instead opt to hem him in the pocket to mitigate his scrambling ability?

The Crimson Tide has allowed eight sacks in five games but given up four in the last three games showing great improvement from last year where Alabama finished 129th in the nation giving up 49 sacks in 14 games.

Alabama's offensive line will be tested Saturday by a trio of talented players. South Carolina's interior defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway serves as a fifth-year plug in the middle while edge rushers Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart set the edges and get after the passer. The pedigree of each ensures none are given extra attention, meaning the Crimson Tide lineman will likely have to win individual matchups up front in order to be successful.

The Gamecocks are tied for 24th nationally with 35 tackles for a loss this season but have largely struggled against the run in conference play. Kentucky, Ole Miss and LSU collectively averaged 137 yards on the ground as the Rebels and Tigers each scored three times on the ground.

In the video below observe South Carolina's tackles for losses coming on the perimeter when plays are going east and west and in goal line situations when the field is condensed and the Gamecocks have a greater presence upfront.

Perhaps the key to attacking the South Carolina front is to get downhill in the running game on early downs instead of allowing the Gamecocks to get creative with their looks, pin their ears back and rush the passer.