Tua Tagovailoa, No. 2 Alabama Rally After Slow Start to Beat Duke 42-3

It was a slow start to the season, but Alabama dominated the second half on the way to a 42-3 win over Duke.

The Blue Devils held the country's No. 2 team scoreless in the first quarter Saturday, and the Crimson Tide led just 14-3 at halftime. However, Alabama put up a stronger showing in the final 30 minutes to win the Week 1 battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished with 336 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Jerry Jeudy was a big part of the success with 10 catches for 137 yards and a score.

Quentin Harris totaled 97 passing yards in a losing effort.

Tua Tagovailoa Remains a Heisman Favorite Despite Slow Start

It wasn't always pretty, but Tagovailoa showed Saturday why he is one of the best players in college football.

The quarterback produced few highlight plays, but he was efficient while finishing 26-of-31 passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He kept the offense moving, made no mistakes and showcased some mobility both in and out of the pocket.

He also made sure to finish drives when he was near the end zone:

Major Tennison Catches for a 1-Yard Touchdown

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Miller Forristall Catches for a 27-Yard Touchdown

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Smith Hauls in 8-Yd TD 😤

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On a day when the team averaged just 3.5 yards per carry (2.6 before James Ford's late touchdown run), Tagovailoa was there when needed.

The performance was especially impressive after a slow start that led to a lot of criticism online:

Alabama failed to score on its first three drives, which featured a fumble and a three-and-out.

The team was without a few key players in the first quarter due to suspension, including top running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. Still, the first half was a disappointment for the national-title contender.

It was also enough to consider the effect of the offensive coordinator change from Mike Locksley to Steve Sarkisian.

However, there are fewer doubters after Tagovailoa led five touchdown drives in his next six chances before he came out of the game. He seemingly always found the right player, while the receivers are capable of doing plenty of work on their own.

Jeudy stood out with big-time plays all over the field, showing why he is considered the nation's top receiver:

Adding in Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs III and others, there are too many players to defend, which could lead to huge numbers throughout the season.

Those players helped Tagovailoa finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, and they make him a top contender once again in 2019. He and Trevor Lawrence entered the week as 5-2 co-favorites to win the award, per OddsChecker, but the Clemson quarterback had a rough start to the year Thursday against Georgia Tech (168 yards passing, two interceptions). The Tigers will likely be much more reliant on the run than Alabama, and it could be the difference in a close race.

Considering the stat line Tagovailoa produced in a "quiet" game and the blowout finish of a "close" first matchup, things will only get better for the Alabama star. 

Bama Defense Doesn't Miss a Beat Without Dylan Moses

Alabama is expected to have an elite defense every year, but it carried serious questions into 2019 because of the starting lineup's inexperience. The issue became even bigger this week when linebacker Dylan Moses suffered a torn ACL in practice.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller called Moses the best linebacker in the 2020 draft class and a possible first-round pick even after the injury.

"You can't replace a guy like Dylan Moses," head coach Nick Saban said Thursday, per Charlie Potter of 247Sports. "When you lose a signal-caller on defense, it's very similar to losing your quarterback."

He might be irreplaceable, but he wasn't needed Saturday as the Crimson Tide D looked as good as ever.

Duke finished the game with three points and just 204 yards from scrimmage. Alabama also forced three turnovers to go with two stops on fourth down.

There was a lot of pressure on freshmen Shane Lee and Christian Harris, but both showed they can handle key roles in this defense with strong performances against Duke:

Of course, the unit still has talented upperclassmen at the top of the depth chart.

Raekwon Davis, Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis made their presences felt in the front seven, while the secondary allowed few openings down the field.