ArDarius Stewart dropped the first pass that came his way during the second quarter, but the University of Alabama wide receiver wasted no time to make up for it.

On the next play, Stewart caught a baby pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts and off he went. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound offensive threat ran left, but the moment he found a hole, he took it up the middle and all the way to the end zone. The play was marked as a 67-yard touchdown reception, but Stewart picked up basically all those yards on the ground.

“It was a sweep,” Stewart said, “I was just reading my running back and he cut up, so I cut up right behind him and there was a lane. I just tried to hit it as hard as I could and took off.”

Including the drop, it took Stewart just 16 seconds to add points to the Crimson Tide’s margin. By the end of the 60-minute game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama had defeated Mississippi State, 51-3, to remain undefeated.

The Crimson Tide had been trying to cash in on that play for some time, and Stewart believes it finally caught. Offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher enjoyed the moment just as much because it means the group executed well.

“We were just running outside zone basically, just a little bit wider,” Pierschbacher said. “They’re going to get out on the edge and just run like he did.”

During his journey to score, Stewart cut off multiple Bulldog defenders, but none even tried to dive and tackle him. Mississippi State defensive back Jamal Peters chased after Stewart toward the end of his run, but couldn’t catch up.

“I just saw the end zone,” Stewart said.

Two more drives ended in a similar fashion for Stewart, but didn’t require nearly as much running. In the third quarter, he scored on a 15-yard reception and a 20-yarder.

Stewart’s three appearances in the end zone tied the school record for touchdown receptions in a single game. Only six other Crimson Tide players have ever done so. The last was former wide receiver Amari Cooper in 2014.

“I thought (Stewart) did a fantastic job,” coach Nick Saban said. “He’s fast, and he’s got really good hands. I know he had a drop, which he’s probably disappointed in, but I thought he had a fantastic game.”

The Crimson Tide wanted to make explosive plays in the passing game, and Stewart was a desired target. He always has been, but he was absent for some time.

Just three games into the season, Stewart sustained a leg injury against Ole Miss and had to miss two games. He sat out against Kent State and Kentucky, but returned against Arkansas and has played in every game since.

The redshirt junior caught eight passes for a career-high 156 yards against Mississippi State. The 67-yarder was his longest reception, but he had six total that went for more than 10 yards.

“I’m just grateful we got the 'W,'” Stewart said. “It’s not all about me. I just want to have production on all sides of the ball.”