The final score was 42-16. Rarely has the final score of an Alabama football game told less than the story.

The Crimson Tide were locked in a battle with South Florida to the end, holding a two-point lead at the end of the fourth quarter. Much of the trouble came from the Tide’s offensive line.

“I think it’s mostly just the amount of reps they’ve had together,” DeBoer said. “It was really just this week for two practices and it showed. It showed that we weren’t on the same page with different things and different calls.”

The group wasn’t at full strength Saturday. Starting left tackle Kadyn Proctor missed the game with a shoulder injury, forcing regular left guard Tyler Booker out.

Geno VanDeMark filled in the guard position.

“I think we’re in a better place offensive line-wise going into next week,” DeBoer said. “So it was a little bit of a mixed bag at some points in the week with a couple different guys.”

The most obvious, most glaring problem was the penalties. The Crimson Tide had five holds on Saturday, which negated multiple touchdowns.

Alabama was also penalized for an illegal block in the back and two false starts. In all, Alabama’s offensive line cost the Crimson Tide 70 yards in penalties.

“We just have to be more disciplined,” Alabama center Parker Brailsford said.

Brailsford and Jalen Milroe mishandled a snap early in the fourth quarter, costing the Crimson Tide a scoring opportunity deep in the red zone when USF recovered the fumble. On the right side, Jaeden Roberts played reasonably well at guard, but Wilkin Formby struggled at tackle.

Much of the pressure Milroe felt came from Formby’s spot. The Tuscaloosa native also had three of Alabama’s holding penalties.

When Pritchett came on for Formby on the right, the Tide went wild, adding late scores to extend their lead over the Bulls, with Brailsford then defending his team-mate.

“I think if Wilkin had been there, no matter what, we would have done the same thing,” the center said. “I think it was all of us, more than just one person.”

Alabama will face its first Power Four opponent on Saturday when it travels to Wisconsin. It will also be UA’s first road game.

According to Brailsford, it is vital for the Tide to get its affairs in order before the trip, especially when it comes to communications.

The Tide could also continue to use the lessons they learned from a change in attitude late in Saturday’s game.

“Just do your job,” Brailsford said. “Stop trying to be a hero. Stop trying to do other people’s jobs. Stop thinking about what other people are doing. Just do your job. And we did that, and then of course you saw the results.”

Alabama and Wisconsin are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 11 a.m. CT in Madison. The game will be televised on FOX.