TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama's Jameson Williams was off to the races the first time he touched the ball, and the second, and the fourth.
Unstoppable? Maybe. Uncatchable? Definitely.
Williams, whose offseason transfer from Ohio State brought another speedy playmaker to Tuscaloosa, had three monster plays Saturday night against Southern Miss. He opened the nonconference game with a 100-yard kickoff return, then added an 81-yard touchdown catch on his second touch and another 83-yard runback in the top-ranked Crimson Tide's 63-14 win.
"My strategy, every time I get the ball, I'm trying to go to the crib," Williams said after becoming the first player in program history to return two kicks for a touchdown in one game.
Williams and the Tide (4-0) needed just 14 seconds to put to rest any worries of a letdown against Southern Miss (1-3) after a close win over No. 11 Florida to open Southeastern Conference play one week earlier and with No. 13 Ole Miss on deck next weekend. Bryce Young was nearly flawless in throwing for five touchdowns while completing 20 of 22 passes for 313 yards.
Williams, meanwhile, had 258 all-purpose yards on just four touches.
"I call guys like him he's a dog," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "He loves playing. He plays hard. He plays fast, and he's got great speed. And I think that's one of the things that we loved about him in getting him here was he complemented our other guys because he gave us a great vertical threat."
The performance was marred only by a third-quarter interception - Young's first of the season - at the goal line when the ball bounced off Williams, who was unstoppable when he caught the ball.
It was business as usual for Bama, win No. 100 in a row over unranked opponents and plenty of playing time for the backups. Just add in a trio of huge plays from the speedy Williams.
The game started with his 100-yard dash shortly after No. 9 Clemson fell to North Carolina State, No. 16 Arkansas beat No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 23 Auburn averted an upset bid by Georgia State.
The Tide wasted not a single play showing this one wasn't going that way.
Williams spun out of the grasp of a defender and raced the remaining 65 yards untouched.
"I just had to hit the hole," he said, his answers mostly taking less time than his touchdowns. "I knew it was going to be there, I just had to hit it."
Said Southern Miss coach Will Hall: "He broke some tackles and ran away from us."
Roydell Williams ran for 110 yards and Jase McClellan gained 97, plus a 9-yard touchdown catch. Jahleel Billingley caught five passes for 105 yards and a score.
Even an Alabama mistake resulted in a touchdown.
John Metchie III was diving toward the goal line in the first quarter when he was knocked out of bounds. The ball popped out after he tried to reach back across the pylon, but tight end Cameron Latu reached across the line and pulled it into the end zone.
Alabama finished with a 608-213 edge in offensive yards.
Southern Miss freshman Ty Keyes made his second straight start in place of an injured Trey Lowe. Keyes passed for 131 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also led the Golden Eagles with 41 rushing yards.
"I thought our young quarterback really grew up tonight," Hall said, adding that "he showed he belongs in an environment like this."