The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tagovailoa has career day in Tide win
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tua Tagovailoa threw for a career-high 444 yards and tied his personal best with five touchdowns to help No. 2 Alabama open Southeastern Conference play with a 47-23 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
Coach Nick Saban improved to 12-1 at Alabama in SEC openers and wiped away some bad memories of his last visit to Williams-Brice Stadium nine years ago.
Tagovailoa and his receivers quickly got the Crimson Tide (3-0, 1-0) rolling with first-quarter TD passes of 24 yards to Najee Harris and 81 yards to Henry Ruggs III. Whenever the Gamecocks (1-2, 0-1) drew within range, Tagovailoa came right back to restore Alabama’s edge.
Harris added a 42-yard catch-and-run score where he broke two tackles and leaped over defensive back R.J. Roderick on the way to the end zone. DeVonta Smith caught Tagovailoa’s last TD pass, also for 42 yards.
For Alabama to reach its goals, Saban said the Tide will have run the ball more effectively. “It’s great that we’re a great passing team,” he said. “I also think from a team standpoint, we need to be able to run the ball well.”
The Crimson Tide finished with 76 yards rushing against 495 passing.
Saban reminded his players, about all of whom were in middle or elementary school in 2010, of the Tide’s previous game here when the top-ranked Tide were soundly beaten 35-21.
And the Gamecocks tried anything they could to pull off another miracle, but little worked — especially with Tagovailoa in complete control.
Parker White’s fake field goal run to the end zone was called back because of holding. Alabama snuffed out a fake punt to stop the Gamecocks well short of a first down. And when South Carolina drove to Alabama’s 1 on the final play of the half, freshman Ryan Hilinski’s pass to the back of the end zone was off target.
Tagovailoa’s passing yards were the third most in school history. He bettered his previous mark of 387 yards against Texas A&M and tied his personal best for touchdowns set against Auburn, both of those coming in 2018.
Smith and Ruggs both surpassed 100 yards receiving. Smith had 136 yards on eight catches, including two TDs. Ruggs had six catches for 122 yards.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said his team’s errors near the goal line — Hilinski threw high on one fourth-and-goal and threw an interception into the end zone — cost them the chance to keep things closer.
“I thought we made some nice drives today, but we didn’t get what we wanted, and that’s to win the game,” he said.