Losing at home to a team that was down by 30.5 points would have been a terrible outcome on a Saturday when Alabama named the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium after The recently retired Nick Saban.
New coach Kalen DeBoer was already facing considerable pressure after taking over for Saban and his seven national championships. But he managed to avoid an upset that would have significantly increased that scrutiny with a 41-16 victory over South Florida.
However, at 9:45 of the third quarter, the game was tied by one point and Saturday’s second big upset appeared to be in play.
The Bulls squandered a chance to tie the game at 14-14 in the third quarter. Tavin Ward recovered a fumble by Alabama’s Jam Miller and South Florida drove 39 yards in five plays, culminating in a two-yard touchdown run by Ta’Ron Keith.
However, a false start penalty on Jack Wilty negated a two-point conversion attempt and the Bulls kicked the extra point for a 14-13 deficit.
Alabama appeared to have regained its footing and was poised to put the game away with an 11-play drive that covered 51 yards. But at the USF 2-yard line, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe fumbled and the Bulls’ Bernard Gooden recovered.
However, South Florida was unable to take advantage of the situation, failing to get a first down on its next possession and deciding to punt on fourth-and-one. From its own 13-yard line, it was probably the right call by head coach Alex Golish. However, with just one yard to go, playing on the road as a huge underdog against Alabama, going for the first down would have been a bold decision that could have paid off.
The decision to punt looked worse when Alabama turned it around and scored in four plays with Kobe Prentice catching a 16-yard touchdown pass from Milroe for a 21-13 lead.
South Florida rallied on the ensuing drive, however, moving down the field on two 19-yard runs by Nay’Quan Wright and a targeting penalty on Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson. But USF could only gain five more yards, reaching the Tide’s four-yard line. Once again, Golish made a conservative decision, opting to kick a field goal to cut Alabama’s lead to 21-16 rather than go for the touchdown on 4th-and-4.