TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama recorded another blowout win while avoiding a serious injury scare as the Crimson Tide downed Missouri 39-10 in its homecoming game. Here are 10 things we learned.
1. Tagovailoa’s fine
The biggest drama Saturday night came with 11:54 left in the third quarter as Tua Tagovailoa remained on the ground after sliding following a quarterback scramble. Alabama trainers nursed the quarterbacks’ knee before he returned to his feet and gingerly jogged toward the Crimson Tide’s medical tent on the sideline.
Alabama fans waited anxiously as the Heisman hopeful was evaluated in private. Roughly 19 minutes later Tagovailoa emerged from the tent, walking under his own power to the edge of the sideline where he would spend the remainder of the game.
“He wanted to go back in the game. I didn’t think it was worth putting him back in the game,” head coach Nick Saban said. “He kind of tweaked his knee a little bit, the same one he sort of tweaked last week. So we don’t think there’s any issues or problems with it.”
Tagovailoa had been dealing with a sprained right knee this week. The sophomore wore a brace on the knee both during practice and during Saturday’s game. Before leaving, Tagovailoa completed 12 of 22 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns.
2. Hurts stepped up
Saban foreshadowed a situation like this last month, stating the importance of backup quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not only was the head coach right, Saturday he and Alabama received a bit of reassurance that the team is still in good hands in the event Tagovailoa goes down with a more serious injury in the future.
Replacing Tagovailoa in the third quarter, Hurts completed 7 of 8 passes for 115 yards, earning a quarterback rating of 208.3. The junior dropped in a perfect 29-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III in the fourth quarter to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Damien Harris two plays later. Hurts also completed a 44-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy earlier in the game.
“He led us to the national championship two years in a row,” Harris said. “He shattered all kind of records. His resume speaks for itself. There’s never any doubt in our minds when he has to go in and play quarterback and plenty of other positions. Jalen is a pretty special talent, a guy that you really only get to play with once in a lifetime. I’m thankful to line up in the backfield with him and do all these kind of things.”
3. So did Saivion Smith
Hurts wasn’t the only replacement to shine on the night. Filling in for Trevon Diggs at starting cornerback, Saivion Smith tallied two interceptions and helped Alabama’s defense hold Missouri to 142 passing yards.
Smith’s first interception came on Missouri’s opening offensive possession as the JUCO transfer helped set up an Alabama field goal to give the Crimson Tide an early 10-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. His second interception came as he kept the Tigers out of the end zone for good, corralling a desperation pass from Drew Lock on fourth-and-4 from the Alabama 8-yard line.
“It was big-time,” linebacker Christian Miller said. “We got faith in all our guys. Somebody goes down, people step up.”
Smith now leads the team with four interceptions through seven games.
4. Defense answers test
A week after surrendering a season-high 31-points to Arkansas, Alabama’s defense answered one of its most significant tests of the season. The Crimson Tide held a Missouri offense that entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the nation to 212 total yards and a season-low 10 points.
"With a lot of new guys playing we tried to disguise some things in the secondary," Saban said, "because they do a lot of Nike, which means they're going to look at the sideline, see what you're in and our guys were doing a good job of changing things. We kind of had orchestrated so they knew exactly how to do what they were doing and I think a couple times, things changed on them a little bit that might have made them a little bit hesitant.”
Alabama limited Lock to 13 of 26 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. The Crimson Tide recorded four sacks, including one by Quinnen Williams in the end zone which resulted in a safety.
5. Punting problems
After a 10-quarter hiatus, Skyler DeLong finally returned to action during the third quarter. However, the freshman punter didn’t enjoy much success in his welcome-back moment, shanking a punt for 12 yards.
DeLong’s punt was his first action since a Sept. 22 game against Texas A&M as Alabama didn’t need him in games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas. The span of inactivity reached a total of 156 minutes. Saturday was DeLong’s fifth appearance, disqualifying him from a potential redshirt this season.
DeLong has averaged 34.4 yards per punt on 16 attempts this season. Alabama ranks 128 out of 130 Division I teams in terms of punting average.
6. Deadly duo at receiver
For the third straight game, Alabama had two receivers reach the century mark. Jerry Jeudy led the Crimson Tide with 147 yards and a touchdown on three receptions, while DeVonta Smith tallied a team-high four receptions for 100 yards and a score. Two weeks ago against Arkansas, Jeudy tallied 135 yards while tight end Irv Smith Jr. recorded 123 yards through the air. Before that, Jaylen Waddle had 138 yards while Ruggs had 116 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Jeudy’s big day gives him a team-high 26 receptions for 705 yards and nine touchdowns through the air. DeVonta Smith is second on the team with 21 receptions for 409 yards with three receiving touchdowns. The Amite, La., native injured himself during the second quarter and did not return to the game, watching the second half in street clothes on the sideline.
“Smitty pulled a muscle, so he’s going to be day-to-day,” Saban said. “He would probably be the most questionable guy that we have.”
Before this current streak, Alabama had only seen multiple receivers record 100-yard or more receiving yards in the same game five times in program history, including just once in the Nick Saban era.
7. Damien Harris moves up rushing list
Damien Harris continued to climb up Alabama’s career rushing list, entering the top 10 with a 62-yard performance Saturday night. The senior running back now has 2,617 yards in his career, moving him into 10th all-time in school history. Dennis Riddle, who played for the Crimson Tide from 1994-97, is ninth on the list with 2,645 career rushing yards.
Through seven games, Damien Harris is second on the team with 423 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries. His 6.51 yard per carry leads the team and ranks eighth in the SEC. The senior back could become the first Alabama rusher to reach 1,000 or more yards in three consecutive seasons. However, he is currently on pace to fall short of that mark.
8. Good first impressions
For the second straight week, Alabama found the end zone before some in attendance found their seats. Tagovailoa hit Jeudy for an 81-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage to give the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead 23 seconds into the game. The score marked the Crimson Tide’s seventh-straight opening-drive touchdown.
Alabama continued its first-half success, piling up 358 total yards by the half. The Crimson Tide is now averaging 373.1 yards in total offense in the first half this season. Alabama has racked up 340 yards or more in six of its seven games.
With his three first-half touchdowns, Tagovailoa joins former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel as the only SEC passers to throw three or more scoring passes in the first half of three consecutive conference games. Tagovailoa found the end zone three times against Texas A&M and four times at Arkansas. In his last three first halves, Tagovailoa has completed 30 of 40 passes for 727 yards with nine touchdowns, earning a passing efficiency rating of 301.92.
9. Gone in 60 seconds
Tagovailoa’s quick-strike score to Jeudy was one of three first-half scoring drives spanning less than a minute. Alabama took 52 seconds to score a field goal following Saivion Smith’s first interception and scored in eight seconds as Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter following a fumble recovery by Anfernee Jennings.
Alabama has now recorded 18 scoring drives of less than a minute, including nine which have lasted less than 30 seconds. The Crimson Tide entered Saturday’s game leading the nation in scoring drives lasting less than a minute.
10. Another 500-yard game
Alabama’s offense continued to churn out another 500-yard game, with 564 total yards against Missouri. The Crimson Tide has reached the 500-yard mark in all seven of its games this season, the longest such streak in school history.
Alabama leads the nation averaging 567 yards per game, more than 10 yards ahead of Ohio State (556.9). The Crimson Tide also leads the nation with 53.6 points per game with 50 touchdowns through seven games.
1. Tagovailoa’s fine
The biggest drama Saturday night came with 11:54 left in the third quarter as Tua Tagovailoa remained on the ground after sliding following a quarterback scramble. Alabama trainers nursed the quarterbacks’ knee before he returned to his feet and gingerly jogged toward the Crimson Tide’s medical tent on the sideline.
Alabama fans waited anxiously as the Heisman hopeful was evaluated in private. Roughly 19 minutes later Tagovailoa emerged from the tent, walking under his own power to the edge of the sideline where he would spend the remainder of the game.
“He wanted to go back in the game. I didn’t think it was worth putting him back in the game,” head coach Nick Saban said. “He kind of tweaked his knee a little bit, the same one he sort of tweaked last week. So we don’t think there’s any issues or problems with it.”
Tagovailoa had been dealing with a sprained right knee this week. The sophomore wore a brace on the knee both during practice and during Saturday’s game. Before leaving, Tagovailoa completed 12 of 22 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns.
2. Hurts stepped up
Saban foreshadowed a situation like this last month, stating the importance of backup quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not only was the head coach right, Saturday he and Alabama received a bit of reassurance that the team is still in good hands in the event Tagovailoa goes down with a more serious injury in the future.
Replacing Tagovailoa in the third quarter, Hurts completed 7 of 8 passes for 115 yards, earning a quarterback rating of 208.3. The junior dropped in a perfect 29-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III in the fourth quarter to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Damien Harris two plays later. Hurts also completed a 44-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy earlier in the game.
“He led us to the national championship two years in a row,” Harris said. “He shattered all kind of records. His resume speaks for itself. There’s never any doubt in our minds when he has to go in and play quarterback and plenty of other positions. Jalen is a pretty special talent, a guy that you really only get to play with once in a lifetime. I’m thankful to line up in the backfield with him and do all these kind of things.”
3. So did Saivion Smith
Hurts wasn’t the only replacement to shine on the night. Filling in for Trevon Diggs at starting cornerback, Saivion Smith tallied two interceptions and helped Alabama’s defense hold Missouri to 142 passing yards.
Smith’s first interception came on Missouri’s opening offensive possession as the JUCO transfer helped set up an Alabama field goal to give the Crimson Tide an early 10-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. His second interception came as he kept the Tigers out of the end zone for good, corralling a desperation pass from Drew Lock on fourth-and-4 from the Alabama 8-yard line.
“It was big-time,” linebacker Christian Miller said. “We got faith in all our guys. Somebody goes down, people step up.”
Smith now leads the team with four interceptions through seven games.
4. Defense answers test
A week after surrendering a season-high 31-points to Arkansas, Alabama’s defense answered one of its most significant tests of the season. The Crimson Tide held a Missouri offense that entered the game ranked in the top 10 in the nation to 212 total yards and a season-low 10 points.
"With a lot of new guys playing we tried to disguise some things in the secondary," Saban said, "because they do a lot of Nike, which means they're going to look at the sideline, see what you're in and our guys were doing a good job of changing things. We kind of had orchestrated so they knew exactly how to do what they were doing and I think a couple times, things changed on them a little bit that might have made them a little bit hesitant.”
Alabama limited Lock to 13 of 26 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. The Crimson Tide recorded four sacks, including one by Quinnen Williams in the end zone which resulted in a safety.
5. Punting problems
After a 10-quarter hiatus, Skyler DeLong finally returned to action during the third quarter. However, the freshman punter didn’t enjoy much success in his welcome-back moment, shanking a punt for 12 yards.
DeLong’s punt was his first action since a Sept. 22 game against Texas A&M as Alabama didn’t need him in games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas. The span of inactivity reached a total of 156 minutes. Saturday was DeLong’s fifth appearance, disqualifying him from a potential redshirt this season.
DeLong has averaged 34.4 yards per punt on 16 attempts this season. Alabama ranks 128 out of 130 Division I teams in terms of punting average.
6. Deadly duo at receiver
For the third straight game, Alabama had two receivers reach the century mark. Jerry Jeudy led the Crimson Tide with 147 yards and a touchdown on three receptions, while DeVonta Smith tallied a team-high four receptions for 100 yards and a score. Two weeks ago against Arkansas, Jeudy tallied 135 yards while tight end Irv Smith Jr. recorded 123 yards through the air. Before that, Jaylen Waddle had 138 yards while Ruggs had 116 yards against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Jeudy’s big day gives him a team-high 26 receptions for 705 yards and nine touchdowns through the air. DeVonta Smith is second on the team with 21 receptions for 409 yards with three receiving touchdowns. The Amite, La., native injured himself during the second quarter and did not return to the game, watching the second half in street clothes on the sideline.
“Smitty pulled a muscle, so he’s going to be day-to-day,” Saban said. “He would probably be the most questionable guy that we have.”
Before this current streak, Alabama had only seen multiple receivers record 100-yard or more receiving yards in the same game five times in program history, including just once in the Nick Saban era.
7. Damien Harris moves up rushing list
Damien Harris continued to climb up Alabama’s career rushing list, entering the top 10 with a 62-yard performance Saturday night. The senior running back now has 2,617 yards in his career, moving him into 10th all-time in school history. Dennis Riddle, who played for the Crimson Tide from 1994-97, is ninth on the list with 2,645 career rushing yards.
Through seven games, Damien Harris is second on the team with 423 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries. His 6.51 yard per carry leads the team and ranks eighth in the SEC. The senior back could become the first Alabama rusher to reach 1,000 or more yards in three consecutive seasons. However, he is currently on pace to fall short of that mark.
8. Good first impressions
For the second straight week, Alabama found the end zone before some in attendance found their seats. Tagovailoa hit Jeudy for an 81-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage to give the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead 23 seconds into the game. The score marked the Crimson Tide’s seventh-straight opening-drive touchdown.
Alabama continued its first-half success, piling up 358 total yards by the half. The Crimson Tide is now averaging 373.1 yards in total offense in the first half this season. Alabama has racked up 340 yards or more in six of its seven games.
With his three first-half touchdowns, Tagovailoa joins former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel as the only SEC passers to throw three or more scoring passes in the first half of three consecutive conference games. Tagovailoa found the end zone three times against Texas A&M and four times at Arkansas. In his last three first halves, Tagovailoa has completed 30 of 40 passes for 727 yards with nine touchdowns, earning a passing efficiency rating of 301.92.
9. Gone in 60 seconds
Tagovailoa’s quick-strike score to Jeudy was one of three first-half scoring drives spanning less than a minute. Alabama took 52 seconds to score a field goal following Saivion Smith’s first interception and scored in eight seconds as Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter following a fumble recovery by Anfernee Jennings.
Alabama has now recorded 18 scoring drives of less than a minute, including nine which have lasted less than 30 seconds. The Crimson Tide entered Saturday’s game leading the nation in scoring drives lasting less than a minute.
10. Another 500-yard game
Alabama’s offense continued to churn out another 500-yard game, with 564 total yards against Missouri. The Crimson Tide has reached the 500-yard mark in all seven of its games this season, the longest such streak in school history.
Alabama leads the nation averaging 567 yards per game, more than 10 yards ahead of Ohio State (556.9). The Crimson Tide also leads the nation with 53.6 points per game with 50 touchdowns through seven games.
