TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For a moment, this one looked like it could be close. Led by long quarterback runs from Kellen Mond, Texas A&M was moving the ball against Alabama’s stingy defense and testing the Crimson Tide deep into the second quarter — longer than any team had this season.
Then, as he’s done all season, Tua Tagovailoa turned on the gas, smoking out any chance No. 22 Texas A&M had of pulling an upset over No. 1 Alabama inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Tagovailoa threw a near-perfect game, completing 22 of 30 passes for a career-high 387 yards for four touchdowns while adding another score on the ground as he led the Crimson Tide to a 45-23 rout of the Aggies.
Mond helped Texas A&M put together back-to-back scoring drives in the second quarter, cutting Alabama’s lead to 21-13 with 3:24 left in the half. That’s when Tagovailoa and company delivered its death blow.
The sophomore quarterback responded by taking Alabama 75 yards down the field on six plays, capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hale Hentges. Mond was then intercepted by freshman cornerback Patrick Surtain II on the ensuing drive, giving Alabama the ball at the Texas A&M 45-yard line with enough time for Tagovailoa to set up a 47-yard field goal from Joseph Bulovas. Just like that, the Crimson Tide took a comfortable 31-13 lead into the break.
Mond finished the day completing 16 of 33 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and added 98 yards and a score on the ground. However, both of his mistakes through the air proved costly. Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson stepped in front of a careless throw by Mond on the Aggies opening drive, giving the Crimson Tide the ball at the Texas A&M 30-yard line. Alabama capitalized on the error on the next play as Tagovailoa found a diving DeVonta Smith in the end zone on his first pass of the game.
Henry Ruggs III led Alabama’s receivers with 84 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Smith had four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown, while Jerry Jeudy had a team-high six catches for 78 yards. Tight end Irv Smith Jr. had four receptions for 74 yards, while Hentges hauled in two touchdowns on the afternoon.
Damien Harris led Alabama with 52 rushing yards on seven carries. Najee Harris added another 43 yards on eight carries as Alabama was held to a season-low 109 yards on the ground.
Texas A&M’s offense came into the game ranked No. 4 in the nation averaging 596.3 yards per game. Saturday, Alabama held the Aggies to 393 total yards. Defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs led the way for the Crimson Tide, tallying seven tackles to go with a career-high three sacks. Safety Xavier McKinney also had a sack to go with seven tackles. Linebacker Dylan Moses led the Crimson Tide with nine tackles.
With the win, Alabama head coach Nick Saban moved to 13-0 in games against former assistants. Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher worked as Saban’s offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04. Saban is 2-0 against Fisher, previously beating him 24-7 last season when Fisher was in charge of Florida State.
Alabama will host Louisiana-Lafayette next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
