TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Unfazed by the anticipation and speculation heading into his first career start, Mac Jones kept his job as simple as possible Saturday.

“My big thing is just doing my job,” Jones said. “I just try to focus on that and don’t blow anything out of proportion. Football’s football, and you just take what they give you.”

Filling in for injured Tua Tagovailoa, Jones became the 10th quarterback to start under Nick Saban at Alabama. The week leading into the game was filled with questions over how the sophomore would handle replacing the Heisman contender and if he would be able to keep Alabama’s high-powered offense rolling.

Any doubts of Jones’ ability were dispelled Saturday night as he led Alabama to a 48-7 victory over Arkansas, completing 18 of 22 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

Alabama didn't complicate things for Jones on its opening possession, asking him to complete a series of screens and shovel passes. The right-hander responded by completing his first five passes while leading the Crimson Tide on a 14-play drive capped off by a 31-yard field goal from Joseph Bulovas. While the drive resulted in just three points, it served as a catalyst for Jones’ confidence on the night.

“I think it’s always the plan with your quarterback if you can give him some easy completions early in the game it’s always helpful confidence-wise,” Saban said. “We do that even with Tua when he plays. But we weren’t afraid to throw the ball down the field. We weren’t afraid to do anything that we normally do with Mac. And I thought he did a really good job in the game and played within himself and made really good decisions.”

There was also a bit of good fortune. A 37-yard fumble return from Alabama linebacker Christian Harris gave Jones the ball back at the Arkansas 14-yard line. From there, he fired a ball over the head of DeVonta Smith in the end zone only for it to end up in the hands of fellow receiver Henry Ruggs III for a touchdown.

“I kind of just threw it toward Smitty,” Jones said showing off the open-mouth laugh that earned him the nickname 'Joker 'by his teammates. “I thought he was going to make the play, but it ended up going to Ruggs. So, it is what it is, but sometimes that’s football.”

Jones used that same phrase when describing his nerves heading into the game.

“It’s football, and I’ve been playing since I was five,” he said. “Everybody around me has been playing since they were five. It’s no big deal.”

That easy-going approach helped Jones lead Alabama to scores on its opening five possessions as he completed 12 of his first 15 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns over that span. While his confidence grew, so did his responsibilities.

As the game progressed, Alabama’s offense began to revert to the high-flying form usually seen under Tagovailoa. During the Crimson Tide’s fourth possession, Jones hit Smith for a slant which the receiver caught in stride for a 47-yard gain. He later connected with Jerry Jeudy for 24 yards on a crossing route. The highlight of Jones’ night came on his final completion as he delivered a 40-yard bomb to Jeudy in the end zone.

Even then, simplicity prevailed.

“I just saw Jeudy beat his guy, and I just kind of let it rip,” Jones said. “Don’t overthink it. Just throw the ball.”

Following the game, Saban provided an update on Tagovailoa, who sidelined due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered against Tennessee. The head coach said the starter is doing “really, really well,” and is expected to return to practice by the middle of the week.

“I don’t know what he’ll be able to do or how much, but that’s sort of the prognosis for where we are right now,” Saban said.

What that means for Jones moving forward is unknown. No. 1 Alabama heads into a bye this week before hosting No. 2 LSU on Nov. 9. While the Crimson Tide hopes to have Tagovailoa ready by then, it now knows it has a capable replacement in hand.

“We’re not really focused on LSU,” Jones said. “We’re just kind of working for the bye week. Bye weeks are good because you can get chemistry with everybody and you kind of go back to the basics. So focus on the things you want to work on. We’ll just do that this week and see what happens."

Contact Andrew Bone for all of your real estate needs; buyers, sellers, investors, developers. Property management; BoneHomeTours.com Call 205-531-5577 or click here