Fourth-ranked Alabama has ruled out freshman WR Lotzier Brooks ahead of their road tilt at 3-4 South Carolina this weekend. After starting the season buried deep in the stacked Crimson Tide WR depth chart, the 5-9, 191-pound Brooks has become a reliable weapon with 16 catches for 255 yards.
Alabama has one of the nation's top WR rooms, headlined by the trio of Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton. In the absence of Brooks, the Crimson Tide is likely to turn to either redshirt freshman Rico Scott or true freshman Derek Meadows to be their WR4. Scott was originally pegged to win that spot on the depth chart in the preseason, but was supplanted by Brooks' ascension.
Led by Heisman Trophy contender QB Ty Simpson, the Crimson Tide has recovered from a 14-point upset loss at Florida State in their season opener to surge back into the SEC and national championship race. Simpson has helped Alabama navigate a gauntlet, with four consecutive wins over ranked conference opponents. The junior quarterback has thrown for 1,931 passing yards and 18 touchdowns against only one interception for the season.
Simpson's excellent play has helped Alabama pile up a six-game winning streak that puts them as one of only two teams in the SEC that is undefeated in conference play, alongside third-ranked Texas A&M. After a series of ranked showdowns, the 6-1 Crimson Tide must guard against a potential letdown against the struggling Gamecocks.
South Carolina has lost four of their last five games and are looking for a spark to jumpstart the stretch run. The Gamecocks are 0-3 against ranked teams this season, and have averaged just 12.3 points per game in those games.
During Kalen DeBoer's tenure, the Crimson Tide has often failed to show up as prohibitive favorites. Alabama lost three games to unranked teams last season, and that cost them a shot at the College Football Playoff. In the ultra-competitive SEC, the fourth-ranked team in the nation has little margin for error.
