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DeVonta Smith breaks Alabama single-game receiving TD record in one half

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28:  DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide takes this reception in for a touchdown against the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
DeVonta Smith scored four first-half touchdowns against Ole Miss. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

It took Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith just one half against Ole Miss to break the school’s single-game record for receiving touchdowns.

Smith caught four touchdown passes from QB Tua Tagovailoa in the first 30 minutes on Saturday to set a new school record. Those TD catches came as part of an eight-catch, 221-yard blitz in the first half as Alabama went from being down 10-7 to Ole Miss to up 38-10 at the half. The No. 2 Crimson Tide won the game 59-31.

The 221 yards were just shy of another Alabama record. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper twice had 224 yards receiving in a game for the Tide and saw his record broken early in the second half when Smith caught his fifth TD pass of the day.

Smith’s first TD was a 74-yard catch and run on Alabama’s opening drive. He then caught scores of 23, 25 and 33 yards from Tagovailoa, who also had a rushing touchdown in the half. The 33-yard touchdown gave Alabama a four-score lead at the break and the fifth was a 27-yard score.

Tagovailoa breaks record too

Smith finished with 11 catches for 274 yards and those five touchdowns. Tagovailoa finished the game 26-of-36 for 417 yards passing with seven total touchdowns. The six touchdowns that came via passes broke the single-game record that he tied in the last two weeks with five passing TDs in each of Alabama’s last two games.

Tagovailoa has now thrown for 23 touchdowns and no interceptions through Alabama’s first five games of the season. He also has the most career touchdowns of anyone in Alabama school history. His second touchdown of the day against Ole Miss broke AJ McCarron’s record of 80.

Until Saturday’s outburst, Smith was most famously known for catching the national-title winning pass from Tagovailoa to beat Georgia in overtime in January of 2018. And he still will be most-known for that play, of course. His day on Saturday just adds him into Alabama’s record books until a teammate like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III or Jaylen Waddle scores five TDs in a game.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports

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