TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Milroe ran for two touchdowns and threw for a pair of fourth-quarter scores to help No. 4 Alabama pull away to beat South Florida 42-16 on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (2-0) were locked in a struggle with the Bulls (1-1) most of the way before exploding for 28 points in the final 10 minutes. It had turned into a surprising test for new coach Kalen DeBoer, whose team came in as 30-point favorites and didn’t come to life offensively until late.
Alabama lost three second-half fumbles and had an array of penalties, entering the fourth up just 14-13. Then Milroe had touchdown passes of 16 yards to Kobe Prentiss and 43 yards to Ryan Williams. Jamarion Miller added a 56-yard touchdown run and Justice Haynes had a 29-yarder in the final 2:30.
Miller finished with 140 yards rushing.
The Bulls bedeviled Alabama’s offense much of the way for the second straight year, this time with Milroe on the field. The Tide quarterback was benched for last year’s game, which was tied at the half before Alabama won 17-3.
He completed 17 of 27 passes for 199 yards but was sacked four times and lost a fumble from under center at the South Florida 2 in the second half.
Milroe’s first TD pass gave the Tide a 21-13 lead. The Bulls answered with John Collins’ third field goal on a drive propelled by Nay’Quan Wright’s two 19-yard runs and a targeting penalty against Justin Jefferson.
Then Milroe hit the freshman Williams, who spun away from a defender and scampered into the end zone for his third touchdown of 40-plus yards in two college games.
Alabama lost two fumbles in its own territory in the first 4:05 of the second half, and Milroe later lost another.
His South Florida counterpart Byrum Brown passed for 103 yards and ran 23 times for another 108.
KEY TAKEAWAY
South Florida: Put on a mostly competitive show in front of the biggest crowd (officially 100,077) to attend a Bulls game. Could have made it even closer but produced no points on two straight possessions near midfield to open the second half.
Alabama: The second game of DeBoer’s tenure was nowhere near as pristine as the debut, a 63-0 win over Western Kentucky. It included 13 penalties for 120 yards, plus the turnovers.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Alabama seems likely to stay put in the rankings, especially after the late surge extended it to a more impressive final margin.
UP NEXT
South Florida: At Southern Mississippi on Saturday.
Alabama: At Wisconsin on Saturday.
