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Alabama had its best showing of the 2026 season against South Carolina in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night. The Crimson Tide beat the Gamecocks 49-18, while jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and closing out the first half with a 35-10 lead. There was a little bit of a lull during the third quarter, but another good fourth quarter paved the way for a 4-0 (2-0 SEC) start with a massive road game looming against Mississippi State (11 a.m.) on Saturday, Oct. 3. "Thought we did a pretty good job playing clean football," head coach Kalen DeBoer told the media in the postgame press conference. "Had a few penalties, but I thought our emotional maturity just when a couple times it got a little chippy there. I thought our guys do a really good job of putting the team first. Proud of them for that, and just you know, scored in the red zone, got all touchdowns. Won the turnover margin and won that two to zero. Scored off of both both takeaways there. Got 14 points, and so you know, good to see Noah Rogers out there, you know, get a catch and involved, and excited for him. The team then was excited for him as well. AK (Dear) got back out there, so you know, fourth quarter finished it off. Did a good, did an okay job at the third quarter. We'd like to do it a little bit earlier, but our guys and I thought continued to stay the course, continue to play, and the way we started was promising, and the way we finished, and that's what we take a lot of pride in. That's our identity. We've really done a good job in the second half, for the most part, in all four games, and we did that again tonight." WATCH: Alabama vs South Carolina | Bama247 Postgame Show | Instant Reaction MORE: Everything Kalen DeBoer said following Alabama's 49-18 win over South Carolina Bama247 is doing it after every game and it will be posted on Sunday each week. Here are 10 takeaways/observations from the Alabama win over the Gamecocks in Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Photo: Getty) 1. Quarterback Keelon Russell looked mighty comfortable and early on, too. A three-and-out to start the game didn't stop this Alabama defense from jumping out to a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The first one? A 75-yard strike on the first play of the second drive to receiver Lotzeir Brooks, who is coming off a career performance with 101 yards against Florida State last week. The next score? A 32-yard completion to Ryan Coleman-Williams during the final seconds of the first quarter. Russell was 6-of-7 with 135 yards and two touchdowns, while also having two rushes for 12 yards. The bigger takeaway from the ground game was a pair of slides from Russell before getting hit. That was a major talking point following the season opener and it appears that yet another part of Russell's game has improved through four weeks. The sophomore kept it rolling in the second half with a 42-yard touchdown to Coleman-Williams. Russell was 9-of-10 for 187 and three scores with 7:22 remaining in the second half, while finishing 13-of-15 for 234 yards and four touchdowns as Alabama entered the locker room with a 35-10 lead. The third quarter was a bit of a snoozer for the Alabama offense, who did not score across those 15 minutes. Russell found the end zone on an impressive run late in the fourth quarter. The final stat line? 21-of-27 for 365 yards and four touchdowns, while adding eight carries for 35 yards and a score. 2.  The pass-catching production at the tight end position is emerging. It is something that has been a topic over the last few weeks, particularly when it came to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb telling the media that the room has been very effective in the run game and the passing game will show up eventually. Josh Ford had a jaw-dropping one-handed touchdown reception. It was more than that. After scoring in the win over Florida State, Kaleb Edwards tallied four receptions for 44 yards, three of which were first downs and Marshall Pritchett had two catches for 60 yards, including a long of 38 yards. Kalen DeBoer was asked about the production following the game and pointed to the progression of Russell as a big reason for the tight ends getting more involved through the air. And doing so allows for the offense to open up even further with defenses needing to respect the threat that the room possesses. 3. A quiet night for the rushing attack. After totaling more than 120 yards in the fourth quarter alone during the win over Florida State, the room was not nearly as effective for much of the game against South Carolina. 12 carries for 84 yards in the first half, albeit seven yards per rush, was a bit surprising. At the same time, Russell was dealing through the air; which is something worth bringing up again. The third quarter? Six carries for 10 yards. Oof. The fourth quarter? 12 rushes for 30 yards. All in all, 30 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns isn't a bad day by any means. 4. The first two touchdown game for receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams since Wisconsin. That is very, very good to see. The junior had a 32-yard score in the first quarter and a 42-yard reception for a touchdown in the second quarter before finishing with five catches for 98 yards on the night. Throw in the touchdown against Florida State and Coleman-Williams has put together a good few weeks. Also, no drops since the opener against East Carolina. That is also very encouraging. The elite receiver has to be a focal point for the Alabama offense and that has been the case over the last couple of games. 5. While the final score might not reflect it, there is still work to be done for this Alabama defense. The third-to-last possession of the first half, which resulted in a touchdown for South Carolina, jumps out. The Gamecocks, while trailing 35-3 with just over two minutes remaining, put together an eight play drive capped off by a 41-yard catch touchdown to Nyck Harbor. Sophomore cornerback Dijon Lee, who has struggled at points early in the season, had a holding penalty and fell on the play. The Crimson Tide allowed LaNorris Sellers to pass for 141 yards in the first half, which was a big point of focus coming out of the "worst" pass defense that Kane Wommack had seen during the Florida State win last week. And the while rush defense has been pretty good, it was not in the first two quarters on Saturday night. 21 carries for 134 yards, which is 6.4 per play, is not ideal. It was a very slow third quarter, for both offenses, but South Carolina put together a drive in the final minutes to put them in the red zone before the start of the fourth quarter. The 13-play drive resulted in a nine-yard rushing touchdown for the Gamecocks and  thus a two-point conversion to cut the Alabama lead to 17 points with 14:29 remaining in the game. 6. Luke Metz and Caleb Woodson are really, really good. Sticking on defense, the linebacker combined for 25 tackles in the win on Saturday night. Metz also had a fumble recovery, too. For a unit that has had some question marks to start the season, I don't think I am incorrect in saying that the middle of the defense has been impressive. Those two play with a ton of energy and bring a level of physicality that is very much needed. The communication aspect of it, which Metz brought up following the game, should also be brought up when it comes to the overall play of the position room.  7. While a rough game in coverage for cornerback Dijon Lee, it was a good performance in special teams. Another touchdown given up by Lee, which was talked about in an observation above. There certainly have been some struggles to start the season, which is well-documented at this point. At the same time, I thought the sophomore provided a spark in the return game during the win. Lee returned two kick offs for 55 yards, including a long of 30 yards. The return game hasn't been exactly great this season, but I think the 6-foot-4 defender was a bright spot on Saturday night. The forced fumble in the second half should also be noted. 8. Potentially being down a pair of starting offensive lineman isn't ideal. Starting right tackle Jayvin James left the game early in the fourth quarter and was seen wearing a walking boot on his left leg coming out of the injury tent and into the locker room, while Tyrell Miller replaced him for the remainder of the game. The other potential injury? William Sanders, who was replaced by Mal Waldrep Jr. early in the second half. We should learn more during the weekly press conferences on Monday, while as I said, being down two starters going on the road is not great. 9. Kicker Conor Talty earns the night off. No field goal attempts in the win on Saturday. A good thing, no? The offense scored touchdowns rather than setting for three, so yes indeed. The senior is perfect in his last 13 attempts dating back to last season. 10. Shoutout Red Morgan. Two games, two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. That's the good stuff right there. The Phenix City (Ala.) brings a ton of energy and enthusiasm in the Alabama secondary and continues to make plays on the ball. For a group that has had some struggles so far this season, Morgan has found success in big moments across the last two weeks. Stay up to date with the latest on the Bama247 VIP Boards.