The Alabama Crimson Tide opened its home SEC schedule with a 59-31 thrashing of Ole Miss and broke several school records in the process. Junior wide receiver DeVonta Smith broke the Alabama single-game school records for receiving yards with 274 and receiving touchdowns with five. Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa broke the Alabama single game school records for passing touchdowns with six and total touchdowns with seven. Tagovailoa also passed A.J. McCarron for the Alabama career touchdown record with 81 after his second-quarter touchdown run.

Player of the Game: DeVonta Smith

Have a day, DeVonta. Smith took only 1:10 of game time to post a 75-yard touchdown catch, but he was just getting started. Smith had 221 yards and four touchdowns in first half and added a 27-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter. At that point he already had the third-most receiving yards and the most touchdown receptions in a game in school history.

Play of the Game:

After posting that incredible first half, if you thought Smith couldn’t do anything else to bring Bryant-Denny Stadium to deafening decibels again in the second half, you’d be wrong. The best of his five touchdown catches was the last one. The aforementioned 27-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was a floated ball from Tagovailoa to the left-front corner of the south end zone. Smith leaped over the Rebel defender and managed to get the ball across the goal line at the same time.

Key to the Game:

After losing three starters on the offensive line from last season, Alabama has reloaded and it was never more clear than on Saturday against Ole Miss. Running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. each averaged more than six yards per carry and Tagovailoa was virtually untouched aside from two sacks by the Rebel defense. “Natural growth” was the phrase center Chris Owens used to describe the offensive line’s cohesion over the course of the first five games this season.

Leading Passer: Tua Tagovailoa: 26-for-36, 418 yards and six touchdowns.

Leading Rusher: Brian Robinson Jr.: 10 carries, 60 yards.

Leading Receiver: DeVonta Smith: 11 receptions, 274 yards and five touchdowns.