TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The top-ranked University of Alabama football team finally found an opponent that could play toe to toe with the Crimson Tide, at least until halftime.
The surprise twist: It was The Citadel, from the Football Championship Subdivision’s Southern Conference, not a Southeastern Conference rival.
Tua Tagovailoa passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but the Tide struggled for more than 30 minutes before putting away the Bulldogs for a 50-17 victory on Saturday.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said his team learned a lesson: It must be mentally prepared.
“I don’t really care who you’re playing,” he said.
“Every team that comes here and plays us is going to give us their best shot,” Saban added. “These guys have got everything to gain and nothing to lose, and we’ve got nothing but downside in the game.”
Alabama (11-0), which had coasted against SEC opponents this season, went into halftime tied at 10 with the Bulldogs (4-6). It wasn’t until the Tide scored two touchdowns in a 12-second span on their way to a 27-point third quarter that their fans could rest easy.
“I thought we played a great first half, and our players believed we had the best first half we could have had,” The Citadel coach Brent Thompson said. “We could have hung in there a little longer.”
Tagovailoa completed 18 of 22 passes in three quarters, including touchdowns of 21 and 5 yards to Jaylen Waddle and a 68-yarder to tight end Irv Smith Jr. He broke AJ McCarron’s school single-season record of 30 touchdown passes, reaching 31.
“Thirty-one touchdowns, that’s cool,” Tagovailoa said. “But we’ve got another game to finish off this season and another game after that. We’re more focused on finishing this season the right way.”
Alabama still has SEC West and in-state rival Auburn (7-4, 3-4) next Saturday to close the regular season before taking on No. 5 Georgia (10-1, 7-1) in the conference title game Dec. 1 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Alabama running back Damien Harris got most of his 83 yards on a 73-yard run in the fourth quarter, but he was injured on the play. He stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes before trotting off after Saban went across the field to check on him.
Saban said Harris appeared to have a mild concussion.
Henry Ruggs III gained 114 yards on six catches for the Tide.
Dante Smith ran for a 45-yard touchdown in the first half and a 44-yarder in the fourth for The Citadel, whose triple-option-based offense gave Alabama trouble at times. Smith finished with 130 yards on nine carries.
Quarterback Brandon Rainey threw only two passes, both incomplete, but ran 25 times for 79 yards.
Alabama was coming off back-to-back shutouts of ranked SEC West rivals but lost two fumbles in this one.
Jacob Godek had sent the Bulldogs into the half all even at 10 with a 48-yard field goal on the final play.
“We’re not scared of anybody,” Rainey said. “I think we came out and played our butts off.”
After the Tide fumbled away the second-half kickoff, the Bulldogs missed a field-goal attempt that would have given them the lead.
And then, finally, Alabama’s offense got going. Tagovailoa hit Ruggs down the right sideline for a 54-yard gain. Then he found Waddle for a 5-yard touchdown pass, and the Tide regained the lead.
Anfernee Jennings scooped and scored on an 18-yard fumble recovery shortly after that, and it was a more comfortable 24-10 game with a lead that continued to grow.
Alabama backup quarterback Jalen Hurts came into the game in the fourth quarter to a loud ovation. Hurts had missed the past two games with an ankle injury, and Saban said the goal going into the game was to get him 12 to 15 plays.
Alabama set the school record with its 25th consecutive home win. The previous mark of 24 was set from 1971 to ’74.