Field Level Media
Sep 22, 2018
Tua Tagovailoa completed 22 of 30 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for one more, and No. 1 Alabama cruised to a 45-23 win over No. 22 Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Tight end Hale Hentges hauled in two touchdowns for the Crimson Tide, while wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III caught one apiece. Tagovailoa and Josh Jacobs scored on the ground as Alabama (4-0, 2-0 SEC) beat the Aggies for the sixth meeting in a row.
Kellen Mond completed 16 of 33 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Texas A&M (2-2, 0-1). The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for a team-high 98 yards and a touchdown.
Alabama showed few flaws in its first matchup against a ranked program. The Crimson Tide have outscored opponents 215-51 on the season.
Tagovailoa has been a significant reason for Alabama's success. The southpaw sophomore from Hawaii enjoyed his fourth straight game without throwing a pick. He has 12 touchdowns to go with zero interceptions on the season.
Backup quarterback Jalen Hurts replaced Tagovailoa late in the game and completed 3 of 3 passes for 28 yards.
Alabama jumped to a 31-13 halftime lead. Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns before the break, including a 30-yard strike to Smith in the game's first minute. The sophomore wideout dove and extended his arms to bring in his second touchdown of the year and fifth of his career.
Texas A&M evened the score at 7 on a 15-yard pass from Mond to tight end Jace Sternberger with 4:55 to go in the first quarter.
From there, it was all Alabama. The Crimson Tide outscored Texas A&M 31-9 in the second and third quarters, with Hentges grabbing a pair of touchdowns from 23 yards and 6 yards in the second quarter.
Texas A&M safety Donovan Wilson was ejected for the second time this season after he was flagged for targeting during the first quarter. Wilson drew the penalty after he lowered his head and drilled Ruggs III with the crown of his helmet.
--Field Level Media