Alabama vs. South Carolina 2010: No. 1 Crimson Tide Upset 35-21 by Gamecocks
No. 1 ranked Alabama has fallen to No. 19 South Carolina in a 35-21 upset.
South Carolina jumped to an early 21-3 lead after scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions that set the stage for the remainder of the game.
Stephen Garcia finished with three touchdown passes, while running back Marcus Lattimore scored two on the ground. In addition, receiver Alshon Jeffrey hauled in seven grabs for 127 yards, including a spectacular one-handed reception down the sidelines toward the end of the game.
Strangely enough, however, the Crimson Tide were statistically comparable to the Gamecocks in most categories. In fact, Greg McElroy had a rather impressive game, throwing for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, this was his first loss since high school.
Despite their strong aerial attack, the Tide's rushing game was absolutely shut down as they managed only 38 yards on a 1.4 yard-per-carry average. Mark Ingram, last year's Heisman Award recipient, only registered 41 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Moreover, missed opportunities killed Alabama. McElroy lost a fumble, while the team misfired on a field goal and converted only five of their 13 third downs.
Furthermore, their offensive line surrendered a whopping eight sacks.
On the flip side, the Crimson Tide defense was scorched. Instead of allowing the nine points a game they have this season, it gave up 35, which is the most it has allowed since 2007.
Alabama's last regular-season loss was on November 24, 2007, to Auburn. Last year the team capped its undefeated season with a 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the BCS National Championship Game.
This loss is certainly a big blow to Alabama. If the Tide have any hopes of making it to the BCS National Championship game, they'll not only need to win from here on, but will need a bit of luck as well.
As for South Carolina, this could be their greatest win in school history.
It will be interesting to see how this loss affects the AP Top 25 poll. What we know for sure is that the Crimson Tide are no longer No. 1.
