Henderson: Three observations following Alabama’s victory over Tennessee
1. Tua continues to Tua
I have not seen too many quarterbacks throw the deep ball like Tua. Have you? His ability to hit receivers in stride over 25-yards is exceptional and his quickness to read progression through the field is NFL like. Let’s not forget that the offensive line gave him plenty of time today against Tennessee and his receivers are the best in college football. Tagovailoa finished 19-29 for 306-yards with 4 touchdowns and his rating was 199.7.
2. Loved the heavy dose of Joshua Jacobs
I am not sure what happened with Damien Harris (Saban said something internal) but Jacobs ran angry and has run angry all season. In the 1st half, I’m not sure if there was a better back in college football than Josh Jacobs and a heavy dose of him is something we need to see more of. I think he’s starting to set himself apart as the best back on the team. What do you think?
3. Rest comes at the perfect time of the season
Alabama will enter its bye week after eight games, which seems like the perfect time to get healthy before what will likely be their toughest game of the season against LSU. Tua needs to be 110% for that game and others who are banged up will get some recovery time as we enter the most important part of the season. LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn are still on the schedule.
POST GAME NOTES
CAPTAINS: Alabama’s captains against Tennessee were linebacker Anfernee Jennings, offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
SERIES RECORD FOR POINTS SCORED AGAINST THE VOLS: Alabama’s 58 points in the win over Tennessee are the most by the Crimson Tide in the 101-game history of the series. The previous record was 56 in a 56-28 win in 1986 in Knoxville. Alabama’s only other game with more than 50 points came in a 51-0 win over the Vols in Birmingham in 1906. The Tide’s total is also the most scored by either team in series history.
SCORING AGAINST TENNESSEE: In Alabama’s six games at Neyland Stadium under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has outscored Tennessee, 255-83 (42.5-13.8). The win also marks the seventh time in 12 meetings with the Vols in the Saban era that UA has scored 40 or more points.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: With its post-turnover scoring drive on its second possession against Tennessee, Alabama has scored 97 points off 17 opponent giveaways this season, scoring on 15 of the turnovers. The Tide defense has directly accounted for 28 points on four interception returns, while the offense has posted 69 points on its 12 post-turnover possessions.
DEFENSIVE NOTESDOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES FOR LOSS: Alabama’s 11 tackles for loss against the Volunteers marks the third time this season the Crimson Tide has reached double digits in stops behind the line of scrimmage. UA had 10 tackles for loss against Texas A&M on Sept. 22 and 11 against Louisville on Sept. 1.
TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: Alabama’s first quarter fumble recovery against Tennessee gives the Crimson Tide at least one forced turnover in 50 of its last 52 games dating to the start of the 2015 season. During the current run, the Crimson Tide has forced 89 turnovers (61 interceptions, 28 fumbles) and returned 21 of those miscues for touchdowns.
FIRST HALF RUSHING DEFENSE: Alabama limited Tennessee to -13 yards rushing in the first half against Tennessee, the lowest total allowed by the Crimson Tide this season. UA’s previous low occurred in the season’s first game when the Tide limited Louisville to 11 yards in the opening two quarters on Sept 1.
OFFENSIVE NOTES EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE 500+ YARD TOTAL OFFENSE GAME: Alabama’s 545 yards in total offense against Tennessee marks the eighth time the Crimson Tide has topped 500 yards this season and the 20th time in the last 52 games dating to the start of the 2015 campaign. This is Alabama’s first eight-game run of 500-yard total offense performances in program history.
300 FOR THREE: Tua Tagovailoa’s 306 yards passing against the Volunteers is his third 300-yard passing game of the season, which matches the Alabama single-season record shared by Gary Hollingsworth (1989), Jay Barker (1994) and AJ McCarron (2013).
TAGOVAILOA VS. SEC: In five games against Southeastern Conference opponents this season, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,483 yards and 17 touchdowns on 74-of-109 passing (.679) for an efficiency rating of 233.64.
TUA AT THE HELM: Sophomore Tua Tagovailoa has directed 62 drives as the Tide’s starting quarterback this season with 41 resulting touchdowns and five culminating in field goals for 46 total scoring drives (74.2). In those drives, the Tide offense is 28-for-43 (65.1) on third down conversions, accounting for 3,009 yards on 315 snaps for an average of 9.55 yards per play and 299 of the 388 points scored by the UA offense.
SINGLE SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASSES: With four touchdown passes against the Vols, Tua Tagovailoa now has 25 in eight games this season, which ranks No. 4 on the Alabama single-season touchdown list. AJ McCarron is the UA leader with 30 in 2012. McCarron (2013) and Blake Sims (2014) are tied for second with 28.
TAGOVAILOA FIRST HALF TOUCHDOWN PASSES: With his three first-half touchdown passes against Tennessee, Tua Tagovailoa has now thrown three or more scoring tosses in the opening half of Alabama’s last four SEC games. Tagovailoa had three against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, four at Arkansas on Oct. 6 and three against Missouri on Oct. 13.
LAST FOUR FIRST HALVES FOR TAGOVAILOA: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa is 46-for-66 with 983 yards passing and 12 touchdowns in the first half of his last four games (vs. Louisiana, at Arkansas, vs. Missouri, at Tennessee) for a passing efficiency rating of 254.81.
FIRST HALF TOTAL OFFENSE: With 351 total yards in the first two quarters against Tennessee, Alabama is now averaging 370.3 yards in total offense in the first half this season (2,963 yards in eight games). The Tide has racked up 340 or more total yards in the first half in seven of eight games this season – 340 vs. Louisville, 395 vs. Arkansas State, 418 at Ole Miss, 357 vs. Louisiana, 463 vs. Arkansas and 358 vs. Missouri along with today’s output.
FIRST HALF SCORING: Through eight games this season, Alabama is outscoring its opponents, 310-58 (38.7-7.2), in the first half. That total includes a 165-31 (20.6-3.9) first quarter advantage and a 145-27 (18.1-3.4) difference in the second quarter.
FIRST HALF RUSHING DEFENSE: Alabama limited Tennessee to -13 yards rushing in the first half, the lowest total allowed by the Crimson Tide this season. UA’s previous low occurred in the season’s first game when the Tide limited Louisville to 11 yards in the opening two quarters on Sept 1.
THIRTY FOR SEVEN: Alabama has now scored 30 or more points in the first half of six consecutive games dating back to the Arkansas State game on Sept. 8, the longest streak in the FBS since Baylor from 2012-13.
FIRST QUARTER POINTS: Alabama scored 28 points in the first quarter for the third time this season against Tennessee. Alabama also tallied 28 in the first quarter against Louisiana and Ole Miss to tie for the most in an opening quarter for the Crimson Tide during the Nick Saban era. The 28 points against Vols is just the fifth time in the last 15 seasons an SEC team scored 28 or more first-quarter points against a conference opponent. The Alabama record for points in a quarter is 35 in the second quarter against Texas A&M in 2014.
LONG TOSS: With Tua Tagovailoa’s 77-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle in the first quarter against the Volunteers, Alabama has 12 pass plays of 50 yards or more this season – 10 thrown by Tagovailoa, and one each by Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones. Nine of the 12 have gone for touchdowns.
DRIVES UNDER A MINUTE: Alabama’s first quarter scoring drives of eight and 11 seconds against Tennessee are the Tide’s 19th and 20th scoring drives of less than a minute this season. The Crimson Tide led the nation in that category entering today’s game with 18. Eleven of the 20 drives have lasted less than 30 seconds.
OPENING DRIVE TOUCHDOWNS: Tua Tagovailoa’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy on Alabama’s first possession against the Vols was the Crimson Tide’s eighth-straight opening drive touchdown this season.Alabama has now won 23-straight games when scoring a touchdown on its first offensive possession of a game. The Tide’s last loss after finding the end zone on its first drive was to Oklahoma in the 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES JACOBS CONTINUES TO SHINE ON KICK RETURNS: Josh Jacobs’ three kickoff returns for 63 yards this afternoon gives the junior 371 yards on 12 returns this season for an average of 30.9 yards per return along with one touchdown. Jacobs was leading the nation in the category entering play today.
1. Tua continues to Tua
I have not seen too many quarterbacks throw the deep ball like Tua. Have you? His ability to hit receivers in stride over 25-yards is exceptional and his quickness to read progression through the field is NFL like. Let’s not forget that the offensive line gave him plenty of time today against Tennessee and his receivers are the best in college football. Tagovailoa finished 19-29 for 306-yards with 4 touchdowns and his rating was 199.7.
2. Loved the heavy dose of Joshua Jacobs
I am not sure what happened with Damien Harris (Saban said something internal) but Jacobs ran angry and has run angry all season. In the 1st half, I’m not sure if there was a better back in college football than Josh Jacobs and a heavy dose of him is something we need to see more of. I think he’s starting to set himself apart as the best back on the team. What do you think?
3. Rest comes at the perfect time of the season
Alabama will enter its bye week after eight games, which seems like the perfect time to get healthy before what will likely be their toughest game of the season against LSU. Tua needs to be 110% for that game and others who are banged up will get some recovery time as we enter the most important part of the season. LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn are still on the schedule.
POST GAME NOTES
CAPTAINS: Alabama’s captains against Tennessee were linebacker Anfernee Jennings, offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
SERIES RECORD FOR POINTS SCORED AGAINST THE VOLS: Alabama’s 58 points in the win over Tennessee are the most by the Crimson Tide in the 101-game history of the series. The previous record was 56 in a 56-28 win in 1986 in Knoxville. Alabama’s only other game with more than 50 points came in a 51-0 win over the Vols in Birmingham in 1906. The Tide’s total is also the most scored by either team in series history.
SCORING AGAINST TENNESSEE: In Alabama’s six games at Neyland Stadium under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has outscored Tennessee, 255-83 (42.5-13.8). The win also marks the seventh time in 12 meetings with the Vols in the Saban era that UA has scored 40 or more points.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: With its post-turnover scoring drive on its second possession against Tennessee, Alabama has scored 97 points off 17 opponent giveaways this season, scoring on 15 of the turnovers. The Tide defense has directly accounted for 28 points on four interception returns, while the offense has posted 69 points on its 12 post-turnover possessions.
DEFENSIVE NOTESDOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES FOR LOSS: Alabama’s 11 tackles for loss against the Volunteers marks the third time this season the Crimson Tide has reached double digits in stops behind the line of scrimmage. UA had 10 tackles for loss against Texas A&M on Sept. 22 and 11 against Louisville on Sept. 1.
TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: Alabama’s first quarter fumble recovery against Tennessee gives the Crimson Tide at least one forced turnover in 50 of its last 52 games dating to the start of the 2015 season. During the current run, the Crimson Tide has forced 89 turnovers (61 interceptions, 28 fumbles) and returned 21 of those miscues for touchdowns.
FIRST HALF RUSHING DEFENSE: Alabama limited Tennessee to -13 yards rushing in the first half against Tennessee, the lowest total allowed by the Crimson Tide this season. UA’s previous low occurred in the season’s first game when the Tide limited Louisville to 11 yards in the opening two quarters on Sept 1.
OFFENSIVE NOTES EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE 500+ YARD TOTAL OFFENSE GAME: Alabama’s 545 yards in total offense against Tennessee marks the eighth time the Crimson Tide has topped 500 yards this season and the 20th time in the last 52 games dating to the start of the 2015 campaign. This is Alabama’s first eight-game run of 500-yard total offense performances in program history.
300 FOR THREE: Tua Tagovailoa’s 306 yards passing against the Volunteers is his third 300-yard passing game of the season, which matches the Alabama single-season record shared by Gary Hollingsworth (1989), Jay Barker (1994) and AJ McCarron (2013).
TAGOVAILOA VS. SEC: In five games against Southeastern Conference opponents this season, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for 1,483 yards and 17 touchdowns on 74-of-109 passing (.679) for an efficiency rating of 233.64.
TUA AT THE HELM: Sophomore Tua Tagovailoa has directed 62 drives as the Tide’s starting quarterback this season with 41 resulting touchdowns and five culminating in field goals for 46 total scoring drives (74.2). In those drives, the Tide offense is 28-for-43 (65.1) on third down conversions, accounting for 3,009 yards on 315 snaps for an average of 9.55 yards per play and 299 of the 388 points scored by the UA offense.
SINGLE SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASSES: With four touchdown passes against the Vols, Tua Tagovailoa now has 25 in eight games this season, which ranks No. 4 on the Alabama single-season touchdown list. AJ McCarron is the UA leader with 30 in 2012. McCarron (2013) and Blake Sims (2014) are tied for second with 28.
TAGOVAILOA FIRST HALF TOUCHDOWN PASSES: With his three first-half touchdown passes against Tennessee, Tua Tagovailoa has now thrown three or more scoring tosses in the opening half of Alabama’s last four SEC games. Tagovailoa had three against Texas A&M on Sept. 22, four at Arkansas on Oct. 6 and three against Missouri on Oct. 13.
LAST FOUR FIRST HALVES FOR TAGOVAILOA: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa is 46-for-66 with 983 yards passing and 12 touchdowns in the first half of his last four games (vs. Louisiana, at Arkansas, vs. Missouri, at Tennessee) for a passing efficiency rating of 254.81.
FIRST HALF TOTAL OFFENSE: With 351 total yards in the first two quarters against Tennessee, Alabama is now averaging 370.3 yards in total offense in the first half this season (2,963 yards in eight games). The Tide has racked up 340 or more total yards in the first half in seven of eight games this season – 340 vs. Louisville, 395 vs. Arkansas State, 418 at Ole Miss, 357 vs. Louisiana, 463 vs. Arkansas and 358 vs. Missouri along with today’s output.
FIRST HALF SCORING: Through eight games this season, Alabama is outscoring its opponents, 310-58 (38.7-7.2), in the first half. That total includes a 165-31 (20.6-3.9) first quarter advantage and a 145-27 (18.1-3.4) difference in the second quarter.
FIRST HALF RUSHING DEFENSE: Alabama limited Tennessee to -13 yards rushing in the first half, the lowest total allowed by the Crimson Tide this season. UA’s previous low occurred in the season’s first game when the Tide limited Louisville to 11 yards in the opening two quarters on Sept 1.
THIRTY FOR SEVEN: Alabama has now scored 30 or more points in the first half of six consecutive games dating back to the Arkansas State game on Sept. 8, the longest streak in the FBS since Baylor from 2012-13.
FIRST QUARTER POINTS: Alabama scored 28 points in the first quarter for the third time this season against Tennessee. Alabama also tallied 28 in the first quarter against Louisiana and Ole Miss to tie for the most in an opening quarter for the Crimson Tide during the Nick Saban era. The 28 points against Vols is just the fifth time in the last 15 seasons an SEC team scored 28 or more first-quarter points against a conference opponent. The Alabama record for points in a quarter is 35 in the second quarter against Texas A&M in 2014.
LONG TOSS: With Tua Tagovailoa’s 77-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle in the first quarter against the Volunteers, Alabama has 12 pass plays of 50 yards or more this season – 10 thrown by Tagovailoa, and one each by Jalen Hurts and Mac Jones. Nine of the 12 have gone for touchdowns.
DRIVES UNDER A MINUTE: Alabama’s first quarter scoring drives of eight and 11 seconds against Tennessee are the Tide’s 19th and 20th scoring drives of less than a minute this season. The Crimson Tide led the nation in that category entering today’s game with 18. Eleven of the 20 drives have lasted less than 30 seconds.
OPENING DRIVE TOUCHDOWNS: Tua Tagovailoa’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy on Alabama’s first possession against the Vols was the Crimson Tide’s eighth-straight opening drive touchdown this season.Alabama has now won 23-straight games when scoring a touchdown on its first offensive possession of a game. The Tide’s last loss after finding the end zone on its first drive was to Oklahoma in the 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES JACOBS CONTINUES TO SHINE ON KICK RETURNS: Josh Jacobs’ three kickoff returns for 63 yards this afternoon gives the junior 371 yards on 12 returns this season for an average of 30.9 yards per return along with one touchdown. Jacobs was leading the nation in the category entering play today.
