Football vs. Ole Miss Postgame Notes
9/28/2019 6:34:00 PM | Football
GAME CAPTAINS: Alabama's captains against Ole Miss were redshirt junior tight end Miller Forristall, redshirt senior linebacker Anfernee Jennings and junior defensive back Xavier McKinney.
SABAN IN SEC HOME OPENERS: Nick Saban is 16-2 (.888) all-time in Southeastern Conference home openers spanning his time at Alabama and LSU and his teams have outscored its opponents by a score of 638-290 (35.4-16.1 ppg). He is 12-1 (.923) at Alabama with the Crimson Tide outscoring its foes by a margin of 452-186 (34.8-14.3) mark during his 13 conference home openers in Tuscaloosa.
20-POINT VICTORY STREAK: Alabama has opened the season with five consecutive victories by 20 points or more. Last season, the Crimson Tide accounted for 12, 20-point victories (Sept. 14 – Nov. 23, 2002), passing Boise State.
NON-OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS IN THE SABAN ERA: Sophomore linebacker Ale Kaho scored his first career touchdown off of a blocked punt in the third quarter, marking Alabama's 69th non-offensive touchdown of the Nick Saban era and first in 2019.
Defense
TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: With senior defensive back Jared Mayden's interception in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide has forced at least one turnover in 59 of its last 64 contests dating back to the start of the 2015 season. During the current run, the Crimson Tide has forced 104 turnovers (69 interceptions, 35 fumbles) and returned 22 of those miscues for touchdowns.
McKINNEY PACES DEFENSE WITH CAREER GAME: Junior defensive back Xavier McKinney led the game with 13 tackles, 10 of which were solo efforts. His 13 stops are also the most by a Tide player this season.
Offense
OPENING DRIVE TOUCHDOWNS: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith for a 74-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession against Ole Miss. With that score, Alabama extended its streak to 30 straight wins 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 the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Alabama extended its school record for consecutive games with a score to 247 with junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith's 74-yard receiving touchdown in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide was last held off the scoreboard in a 9-0 loss to Auburn on Nov. 18, 2000. Alabama has a 193-53 (.785) record over the course of the current streak.
500+ YARDS OF TOTAL OFFENSE: Alabama recorded 573 yards of total offense against Ole Miss. The 500-plus yard performance marked the 29th time in the last 64 games, dating to the start of the 2015 season, that the Crimson Tide has eclipsed the 500-yard mark. Last season, UA totaled 500 or more yards in 12 of 15 games to set a single-season school record. The Tide has eclipsed 500 yards of offense in all five games of the 2019 campaign.
MOST POINTS IN A QUARTER SINCE 2014: Alabama's 31 points in the second quarter of today's game against Ole Miss are the most scored by the Crimson Tide in a quarter since it had 35 in the second against Texas A&M on Oct. 18, 2014.
CAREER GAME FOR DeVONTA SMITH: In the SEC home-opener against Ole Miss, junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith became the program's all-time receiving touchdowns leader in a game with his fourth catch in the second quarter, passing the previous record of three touchdown catches, which was held by multiple players and last achieved by ArDarius Stewart against Mississippi State on Nov. 12, 2016. Smith also passed Amari Cooper for most receiving yards in a game (224). The junior finished the day with 11 receptions for 274 yards and five receiving touchdowns. His five touchdown receptions ties the SEC record for touchdowns in a game (last in 2006 by Sidney Rice, South Carolina) and 274 yards ranks sixth in a game in SEC annals. Smith also became the sixth player in the SEC to score at least two touchdowns and go over 200 yards in a game, which he did in a quarter.
TUA'S TOUCHDOWN RESPONSIBILITY: With his second touchdown in today's game, junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa surpassed AJ McCarron for touchdown responsibility in a career at Alabama. Tagovailoa now leads the Alabama career touchdown responsibility list with 84 career touchdowns, a number that includes 75 career scoring tosses and nine rushing scores in 29 games, an average of 2.9 touchdowns per game for his career.
TAGOVAILOA THROWS FOR 300+ YARDS FOR THE EIGHTH TIME: Tua Tagovailoa threw for 418 yards against Ole Miss, marking his ninth career 300+ passing performance at Alabama, the most in school history. He has now accounted for nine of the 38 performances of 300 or more passing yards by a UA quarterback in school history. The junior quarterback has also thrown over 290 yards on 12 occasions.
TAGOVAILOA THROWS FOR FOUR OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS ONCE AGAIN: Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's six touchdown passes against Ole Miss set a new career high, but also marked the 10th time he has thrown for four or more touchdowns in a game during his career. The 10 games with at least four touchdowns passes AJ McCarron (2010-13) for the Alabama program record. Last season, Tagovailoa threw for four or more scores six times to a set new single-season school record. The Crimson Tide has played 1,282 games in program history and only 13 times prior to Tagovailoa's 2018 effort had a Tide quarterback thrown for four touchdowns in a game.
250+ AT HALF: For the fifth time in his career, junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa accounted for 250 or more yards in the first half. He was 17-of-24 in today's opening half with 301 yards and four touchdowns.
134-7 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: Under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide is 134-7 (.950) when leading at the half. Alabama has held the lead in 51 of its last 64 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season. Alabama is also 118-4 (.967) when leading by seven or more points at the break during the Saban era.
