Associated Press photo by Vasha Hunt / Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa releases a pass during the first half of last Saturday’s rout of Southern Mississippi.Facing Alabama and its talented roster is a notable challenge in itself.
When the Crimson Tide are not turning the ball over, the chances of beating them head from slim to none.
“We try to do a thing each week where we have no turnovers,” Alabama junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said this week in a news conference. “I think we only have two so far, so we’re doing pretty good.”
The second-ranked Crimson Tide have opened this season with thrashings of Duke, New Mexico State, South Carolina and Southern Miss by the average score of 50-11, and a similar outcome could be in store Saturday afternoon when Ole Miss visits Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Rebels shouldn’t expect any gifts from the hosts, as a fumble by running back Jerome Ford against Duke and an interception of backup quarterback Mac Jones late in last Saturday’s contest have accounted for Alabama’s only miscues entering its fifth game.
Ford’s gaffe occurred during the first quarter of the opener, when top Tide tailbacks Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. were briefly sidelined due to a minor violation of team rules.
Tagovailoa, last season’s Heisman Trophy runner-up, has been clean and incredibly efficient so far, racking up 17 touchdown passes without being picked off. The 6-foot-1, 218-pounder was not intercepted until the ninth game last season, the 29-0 win at LSU, and had tallied 12 touchdowns through four contests.
“He’s always had a fast release and has been accurate, but you can just tell that the command is there,” Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said. “The ball is coming out even faster, and it’s going to the right spots more often. Their scores and what they’ve been able to do kind of show that.”
Whether Tagovailoa matches or surpasses last season’s successes won’t be known until he navigates a November schedule that includes No. 4 LSU and No. 7 Auburn, as well as what would lie ahead for the Tide after that. In last December’s triumph over Georgia for the Southeastern Conference championship and in January’s lopsided loss to Clemson in the national title game, Tagovailoa was intercepted a combined four times.
Gauging his improvement can be difficult blowout win after blowout win, but Tide coach Nick Saban has noticed and is impressed.
“I think he’s a lot more confident, and I think he has a better understanding of what the defense is trying to do,” Saban said. “That just elevates his ability to make better choices and decisions – not that he made bad ones before.”
In Tagovailoa’s 19 career starts, Alabama has averaged 46.5 points per game. In Alabama’s 35 possessions with Tagovailoa at quarterback this season, the Tide have racked up 22 touchdowns and three field goals and missed three field-goal attempts.
The dizzying numbers seem limitless for Tagovailoa, who is completing 77.7% of his passes this year and can set an Alabama standard for touchdown responsibility against the Rebels.
Tagovailoa has produced 79 touchdowns in his career – 71 passing and eight rushing – which has him one away from the 80 that AJ McCarron amassed in 2010-13.
“He’s just focusing more on taking what the defenses are giving him,” junior receiver Henry Ruggs III said. “He understands a lot more about defenses now, and he’s confident in taking what defenses are giving him.”
Said Tagovailoa: “It’s knowing what to do and understanding what to do and playing at a fast pace and a high level. It’s going out there and being relaxed and doing what I do.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.