Alabama football rode a huge third quarter to break a surprising halftime tie and rout a game Citadel side on Saturday afternoon.
The talk of the college football world at halftime was the potential upset brewing in Tuscaloosa as The Citadel drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to stun the Bryant-Denny crowd and the nation as a whole with a 10-10 tie through the game’s first 30-minutes.
The Bulldogs from the Southern Conference of the FCS refused to roll over and play dead, and their ball control in the first half frustrated the No. 1 team in the nation.
Alabama managed just four offensive possessions in the first half, and scraped out just 10 points, well below their seasonal averages. Tua Tagovailoa led another opening drive touchdown for the Crimson Tide, but a Jerry Jeudy fumble, a three-and-out, and a stall in the redzone prevented the offense from establishing much of a rhythm.
The Citadel’s freshman running back Dante Smith broke free for a 48-yard touchdown in the second quarter off an option play as Alabama’s stout defense struggled with playing the correct assignments against an offense foreign to them.
The closest game Alabama had played at the half up to this point was two weeks ago in Baton Rouge when they lead LSU 16-0.
Alabama tight end Miller Forristall fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half on a pooch kick, which gave the Bulldogs the chance to take the lead in the third quarter. Kicker Jacob Godek missed a 45-yard field goal that would have given them the lead.
Faced with surprising adversity, Alabama responded on both sides of the ball, asserting their dominance and routing The Citadel 27-0 in the third quarter en route to a 50-17 win.
Tua scored three of his four touchdowns in the third frame. He threw touchdown passes to Jaylen Waddle and Irv. Smith Jr., and then scored on a QB sneak late in the quarter to end the onslaught.
Tua looked healthier than he has in weeks, defying the armchair doctors out there who said he was clearly injured and shouldn’t play. He completed 18-of-22 passes for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The Alabama defense figured out The Citadel option, and played their assignments much cleaner in the second half, save for a second long touchdown given up to Smith in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
After the opening touchdown of the second half, Deionte Thompson forced a fumble, and Anfernee Jennings scooped it and scored from 18 yards out to finally give the Crimson Tide some breathing room.
Backup quarterback Jalen Hurts saw his first action in since the Tennessee game. He suffered an ankle injury against the Vols and looked immobile for weeks in practices and warm-ups. He looked much more comfortable this week, and threw a touchdown pass to Devonta Smith on his first drive of the game.
Continued kicking game struggles and some troubling injuries were the big concerns to take away from this game for Alabama. Joseph Bulovas missed an extra point, and had another one blocked, bringing Alabama’s total for missed extra points this season to a baffling eight. It’s no secret that Alabama has struggled for years in the kicking game, but it has been worse than ever in 2018. Temple graduate transfer Austin Jones kicked the final extra point, his first attempt since missing two extra points himself against Arkansas State in September.
On the injury front, Damien Harris went down after banging his head on the turf following a 73-yard run in the fourth quarter. Deionte Thompson went down with an apparent lower leg injury in the fourth quarter as well. Both would represent big losses for the Crimson Tide if they miss any extended amount of time with the biggest games of the season in the immediate future.
Give The Citadel credit as they came out and put up as much of a fight as could have been expected from a team with such a talent disparity.
Inwardly, Nick Saban was likely thrilled to see his team facing some adversity this late in the season against team many, including players on his team, expected to just roll over. Look for him to use that throughout the week as they prepare for Auburn.
Alabama heads into the Iron Bowl at 11-0 for the second consecutive season, and will be looking to avenge last season’s loss on the Plains. With the SEC West already locked up, revenge will be the only thing to play for in Tuscaloosa next week.