Associated Press photo by John Bazemore / Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa tries to get past Duke linebacker Brandon Hill during the second half of Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.
Associated Press photo by John Bazemore / Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns as the No. 2 Crimson Tide cruised to a 42-3 win against Duke in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.ATLANTA – Now that’s more like it, Alabama.
Playing for the first time since a crushing loss to Clemson in January’s national championship game, the second-ranked Crimson Tide overcame a sluggish start to blow out Duke 42-3 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns before calling it a day late in the third quarter.
“The goal we had in this game was to try to re-establish our identity as a team in terms of the discipline that we played with, the kind of toughness and accountability and everybody putting the team first,” coach Nick Saban said.
It didn’t quite start out like he hoped. Returning to the stadium where they won the Southeastern Conference title last December and the national championship two seasons ago, the Tide were held scoreless in the first quarter – which happened only one time in 2018.