An 11:00 a.m. kickoff may have disappointed fans, but it was what Tua Tagovailoa and Henry Ruggs III needed.
The duo started Alabama’s matchup against Southern Mississippi with touchdown connections on back-to-back possessions. Tagovailoa found the Montgomery (Ala.) native on a 45-yard bomb to start the game and then a 74-yard play on the team’s second drive.
As Alabama leads 28-7 at halftime, Tagovailoa and Ruggs both moved up on the school’s all-time record list.
The junior quarterback has 5,846 passing yards, moving him into seventh place while having 70 touchdown passes (second place).
Tagovailoa is eight scoring tosses shy of passing former Alabama quarterback, AJ McCarron (77) for first all-time. In terms of Ruggs, he has 21 touchdown receptions – advancing him to second in history behind Amari Cooper (31).
Tagovailoa completed 13 of 16 passes for 238 yards with four scores against the Golden Eagles, while Ruggs caught four passes for 148 yards with two touchdowns.
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Jerry Jeudy got into the action in the second quarter, collecting three receptions for 32 yards — including a 17-yard touchdown, where he was wide open on the play. Jaylen Waddle brought in three catches for 43 yards, and Najee Harris record one catch for a 5-yard score.
Harris leads the team in rushing with 50 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, Jared Mayden captains the group with five total tackles.
The trio of Xavier McKinney, Shane Lee and Christian Harris each have four stops, while the duo of Josh Jobe and Jaylen Moody have three tackles apiece.
Lee and Anfernee Jennings accounted for the Crimson Tide’s two sacks of Abraham.
Trevon Diggs recorded his second interception of the season and has helped render Jack Abraham of Southern Mississippi to 88 passing yards at quarterback. The Golden Eagles have 126 yards offensively and have not converted a third down on four attempts.
DJ Dale, true freshman, was helped to the locker room after sustaining an injury in the second quarter.
We here at Touchdown Alabama Magazine will provide an update on him as soon as information is released.
Alabama has 296 yards offensively, with 238 of it coming via Tagovailoa.
The Crimson Tide will open the second half with the ball.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
