TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The glaring sun was the only thing that slowed down Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III early, and that was only for an instant.
Ruggs held up momentarily before pulling in his second long touchdown catch in the second-ranked Crimson Tide’s 49-7 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday. He collected the ball and was off to the races again for a 74-yard score.
Ruggs said it wasn’t an underthrown ball by Tua Tagovailoa, who had another huge game.
“The sun caught in my eye,” he said. “The ball was right in the sun, so I actually turned around to make sure I secured the catch instead of catching it over the shoulder.”
Tagovailoa passed for 293 yards and five touchdowns in just three quarters, including a 45-yarder and a 74-yarder to Ruggs in the first nine minutes.
He had his second straight five-touchdown game and the Tide (4-0) raced to a 28-0 lead in the first 19 minutes in yet another lopsided victory. Last season’s Heisman Trophy runner-up completed 17 of 21 passes.
The Golden Eagles (2-2) couldn’t keep up with the speedy Ruggs, despite a little help from the sun. He had a career high in receiving yards even before the first quarter ended.
Ruggs finished with four catches for 148 yards, all in the first half and on four targets. He sprinted to the end zone untouched on a slant pattern for the 45-yarder.
There were plenty of big plays to go around for an offense that had back-to-back 91-yard scoring drives. Alabama scored on its first four possessions in an early kickoff in hot weather against a sizable underdog.
“There’s a lot of reasons that the players could have not played well today,” Tide coach Nick Saban said. “And I was really pleased with the fact that they were ready to play and got after it.”
Najee Harris gained 110 yards on 14 carries to become the Tide’s first 100-yard rusher since last November’s game against LSU. Jerry Jeudy caught a pair of touchdown passes and finished with 96 yards on six catches.
“I’ve been coaching a long time, and this is probably the first time I’ve ever said this: I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an offense with two Heisman Trophy candidates in it,” Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. “They’re good, they’re really good. They’re going to be one of the best, if not the best, offenses in college football with that type of exploding. The quarterback, I mean he just doesn’t make a bad throw.”
Tagovailoa now has 17 touchdown passes without throwing an interception this season.
De’Michael Harris rushed for 34 yards and had 50 yards and a touchdown receiving for Southern Miss, and Jack Abraham completed 17 of 26 passes for 174 yards. The Golden Eagles couldn’t cash in with points on three early trips into Alabama territory and wound up being outgained 514-226 in total yards.
Not all the news was good for the Tide, whose injuries continue to pile up. Linebacker Terrell Lewis missed the game with a hyperextended knee, but Saban said he’s expected back to practice by Tuesday. Christopher Allen started in his place. Nose guard DJ Dale was helped to the locker room late in the first half with a patella tendon strain.
“Doc thinks he may be OK,” Saban said.
Will Reichard left the game after pulling a hip flexor while kicking off in the first quarter, and Joseph Bulovas handled the duties after that. Saban labeled Reichard as questionable for next Saturday’s game against Ole Miss.