Alabama Crimson Tide rebounds from slow start to blow out Duke in opener

ATLANTA — Short-handed by a slew of self-imposed suspensions, Alabama’s vaunted offense stumbled through the first quarter of its season-opening 42-3 victory over Duke on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide was temporarily without its top two running backs in Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. as well as receiver DeVonta Smith and outside linebacker Terrell Lewis as the quartet watched the first 15 minutes from the sidelines after being suspended for the first quarter for missing a team function in the preseason.

Their early absences were sorely missed.

Alabama went three-and-out on its first possession before redshirt freshman running back Jerome Ford fumbled on the Crimson Tide’s second drive. A third possession ended with an all-too-familiar missed field goal as freshman Will Reichard clanked the right upright from 49 yards out.

A whistle mercifully brought an end to the nightmare start, and the rest of Alabama’s stars emerged for the second quarter.

So did its offense.

Entering the game immediately after the change in quarters, Harris and Smith helped right the ship for an Alabama attack that averaged 522 yards per game last season. Smith tallied three straight receptions on the drive, while Harris picked up a third-and-1 at the Duke 49-yard line as the Crimson Tide marched down the field. The 12-play, 80-yard drive was eventually capped off by a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to tight end Miller Forristall to open the scoring.

Alabama drove down the field again on its next possession, going 76 yards on eight plays as Robinson punched in a one-yard touchdown. Playing with his full-strength offense, Tagovailoa went 9 of 9 for 145 yards and touchdown in the second quarter, helping Alabama to a 14-3 lead at the half. The Heisman finalist finished the game 26 of 31 for 336 yards and four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, an Alabama defense featuring three true freshman starters looked anything but inexperienced. During the preseason, the Crimson Tide was hit with season-ending injuries to inside linebackers Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillan, forcing it to start a true-freshman duo of Shane Lee and Christian Harris at the heart of its defense. The pair finished with six tackles apiece. Freshman D.J. Dale also put in a solid debut, tallying three tackles while fighting off several double-teams at the nose guard position. Freshman safety Jordan Battle tallied his first-career interception.

Safety Xavier McKinney led the Crimson Tide with eight stops. Playing in his first game since suffering a season-ending injury against Arkansas last year, cornerback Trevon Diggs recorded an interception and a fumble recovery. Lewis, who missed all of last season with an ACL injury, finished with three tackles and a sack.

After its slow start, Alabama’s offense continued to pour it on in the second half. The Crimson Tide scored on its first three drives of the third quarter as Tagovailoa hit tight end Major Tennison for a one-yard strike before finding Smith from eight yards out. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Jerry Jeudy put the Crimson Tide up 35-3 with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Jeudy, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, finished the game with 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. Jaylen Waddle had five catches for 90 yards, while Smith also finished with five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. Ford led the Crimson Tide in rushing with 64 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Harris had 52 yards on 12 carries.

Nick Saban is now 13-0 in openers since taking over as Alabama’s head coach. The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 528-144 over that span.

Alabama (1-0) will play New Mexico State next Saturday at 3 p.m. CT for its home opener inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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