Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Alabama's Week 4 Matchup against South Carolina

No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) and South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) are pretty familiar with each other after meeting each of the last two seasons. There are also four former Crimson Tide players (Justin Okoronkwo, Shawn Murphy, Kelby Collins and Upton Bellenfant) on the Gamecock roster.

This Saturday is the SEC home opener in Bryant-Denny Stadium and the first scheduled night game when Alabama takes on South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. Here are three of the biggest storylines I'm keeping an eye on heading into Saturday's game:

Does Alabama offense get off to a quick start?

"Start out with the beginning narrative for the guys," Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. "I know there's a lot of talk out there about slow starts and things like that. So I think, obviously, we're taking some really calculated measures in practice to help continue to address that."

Those were the opening words of Grubb's press conference on Monday. It was also a theme during head coach Kalen DeBoer's turn at the podium. Alabama's first two drives against Kentucky: pick-six and fumble. Alabama's first two drives against Florida State: two three-and-outs.

The offense settled in and started to click in both games, but the slow starts will be harder to overcome against better teams. Alabama probably still has some margin for error against South Carolina, who saw a 16-0 first-half lead evaporate in a home loss to Mississippi State, but for the psyche of the team and the fanbase, a score on the opening drive would do wonders for the Crimson Tide this Saturday.

Can the Tide limit explosive plays by South Carolina WR Nyck Harbor?

At 6-5, 239 pounds, Nyck Harbor is a dangerous weapon for the Gamecocks offense, and he has burned the Alabama defense with big plays in each of the last two seasons. Harbor only had one catch last season in the loss to the Tide, but it went for 54 yards and a touchdown on South Carolina's first play from scrimmage in the second half. In 2024, Harbor had two catches for 40 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that gave the Gamecocks a chance to win.

The Crimson Tide is coming off a game where it allowed 10 explosive pass plays of 15 yards or more, and getting that fixed has been a major point of emphasis for the Alabama defense this week.

"So a lot of things in the passing game that we obviously need to clean up: we gave up nine explosives there," Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. "None of them were MAs [missed assignments.] They were all either fundamental execution errors or guys simply not doing what is asked of them within the structure of the defense. So those are things that our guys— I have great confidence in our players. I have great confidence in our coaches. We are in this together to get those things cleaned up, and I would imagine we will get those things fixed quickly."

Harbor's big-play ability could be a big factor in South Carolina finding the end zone against the Alabama defense. Crimson Tide safety Keon Sabb called Harbor a "talented" player.

"I feel like they all bring unique challenges, and I feel like we’re ready for them," Sabb said.

How Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu's injuries affect Alabama's defensive front rotation

There were a few big surprises on Alabama's availability report when it was released on Wednesday night with outside linebackers Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu being officially declared "out." The University's NIL entity "Yea Alabama" later announced that Hill would be out for a few weeks, and Umeozulu is dealing with a turf toe injury.

According to "Yea Alabama" both injuries were suffered in the win over Florida State, but DeBoer did not mention either during his Monday press conference, and Hill spoke with the media after Tuesday's practice.

With the way Kane Wommack operates his defense, Alabama constantly rotates players in at different positions. Both Hill and Umeozulu are listed as linebackers on the team's official roster, but Hill is listed as a Wolf on the depth chart with Umeozulu at Bandit.

Yhonzae Pierre will continue to start at Wolf and be Alabama's primary edge rusher, and sixth-year Jah-Marien Latham will now serve as his primary backup. Freshman Xavier Griffin is a guy Wommack has talked about using in a hybrid-type role at both inside and outside linebacker, but at 228 pounds (compared to 251 for Pierre or 273 for Latham), Griffin can't really be an every-down Wolf yet. But he will probably see a bigger role while the two defenders are out.

With Umeozulu unavailable, Devan Thompkins will have to play more at the Bandit position and less on the interior defensive line. The two injuries aren't catastrophic for the Alabama defense, but it will certainly affect how many more snaps Thompkins and Pierre are having to play.

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