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CW/ Hannah Saad

Alabama coach Nick Saban would never say his offense had achieved perfection or anything nearing it, but at some points during Saturday’s 56-14 win against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Crimson Tide appeared to be closing the gap between itself and that far-off, imaginary standard.

All 11 of Alabama’s drives concluded either with a touchdown, a field goal attempt or the end of a half.

For the first time in program history, the offense has exceeded 500 yards of total offense in five consecutive games in the same season. It had hung 49 points on the Ragin’ Cajuns by halftime, the largest lead any team has had over an FBS opponent this season, and finished with 608 total yards.

“We’ve been working on having an identity as a team, playing a little more physical and being a little more aggressive, and being able to have a little better balance on offense,” Saban said. “I thought we did a good job of that.”

It was a breakout game for freshman Jaylen Waddle, whose production had yet to match the hype that followed him from summer through fall camp and into the start of the season. Waddle sent a not-quite-full Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd into a frenzy with a 63-yard punt return touchdown, the first of his career.

Inside the final two minutes of the first half, Waddle ran under a perfectly placed lob from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for his first career receiving touchdown. He capped the hat trick with a 94-yard catch-and-run from third-string quarterback Mac Jones.

Waddle finished with a team-leading 138 yards on three catches.

“[Waddle’s] another explosive athlete,” senior wide receiver Derek Kief said. “He’s really just a playmaker. You can never really take a play off because he might bust it and you might be the key block to open him up and spring it.”

Tagovailoa finished the game a perfect 8-for-8, which boosts his season completion percentage to 75 percent. His quarterback rating of 316.9 was by far the highest of his career.

Two of his eight completions went to wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, who set career highs in catches (five), touchdowns (two), and receiving yards (116).

One of those touchdowns was a 54-yarder from Jalen Hurts, who by playing in his fifth game of the season eliminated the option of redshirting this season. A new rule was instituted this offseason that allows a player who plays in four or fewer games to redshirt thus retaining a year of eligibility.

“I think that speaks volumes about his character and him as a man,” center Ross Pierschbacher said. “Just to want to be a part of what we accomplish this year, I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.”

Right tackle Jedrick Wills and left tackle Jonah Williams left the game in the first half — Williams due to a twisted ankle — but Saban said neither injury is significant.

Alabama’s running game seemed rejuvenated on Saturday afternoon despite Wills and Williams leaving the game and a pedestrian outing last week against Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide’s 268 rushing yards, its second-most of the season, were amassed by eight different players.

Najee Harris was the team’s leading rusher with 73 yards, the second-most of his career. Josh Jacobs scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, bringing his season total to five, which matches his total from the previous two seasons.

Saban had expressed displeasure last week with the offense’s ability to use the running game to control the clock, especially late in games. This game, however, ended with a seven-run, zero-pass Alabama drive that gained three first downs and ran the final four minutes off the clock.

“I told the players that in some areas of our team I didn’t think we were making the progress we wanted to make,” Saban said. “We challenged the players to do that. We’ll see how we can build on it for the future because I think it’ll be very important for us in the competition that we have in our division and our league.”