Quarterback controversies rarely occur with Alabama football. However, gifted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa cannot languish on the sidelines. Expect him to start in the 2018 season opener.
Alabama football claimed its 17th national championship against the Georgia Bulldogs in a comeback victory 26-23. The hero of the College Football Playoff championship game was NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young clone, freshman Tua Tagovailoa.
Incumbent junior quarterback Jalen Hurts did not return in the second half after an abysmal 3-for-8 and 21 yards. The inept offense struggled mightily. Georgia played aggressively, placing as many as nine players in the box to shut down the run. The threat of a passing attack was not there with Hurts.
Jalen garnered a reputation for never letting games become too big for him. Against above average defenses, he plays tight and only makes safe throws. The result was 98 passing yards versus Florida State and112 yards in the loss against Auburn.
There were whispers that Tagovailoa could see action in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Saban never needed to insert Tua as the Tide won handily, 24-6.
Superstar in the making
The lefty quarterback tossed 11 touchdowns in garbage time in nine blowout wins. Hurts threw 17 TDs in 14 starts.
Jalen topped 200 yards passing twice last season. Tua passed for 166 yards in just a half of the title game.
During the SEC opener, against Vanderbilt, Tua was mesmerizing and scintillating. A major highlight from the victory was Tua evading a sack by side-stepping a first pass rusher, then spinning away from another rusher, before a beautifully thrown 27-yard dart to a wide open Devonta Smith in the end zone.
High Expectations for the Sophomore Quarterback
NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah is extremely high on the Crimson Tide’s rising sophomore. Jeremiah predicted the sophomore would win the Heisman Trophy this season. He bragged about Tua’s footwork, quick release, throwing on the run ability and his excellent anticipation.
Super Bowl winner and Nike’s Elite 11 camp head coach Trent Dilfer predicts Tua wins the coveted award in 2018.
"“The runners will be better because they’ll have lanes to run in. The offensive line will be better. They’ll convert more third downs, and their defense will be better. Alabama will be the best team in the country, and he’ll be the best player on the best team in the country.”"
The offensive disparity will not occur under Tagovailoa
In the second half of the national championship, eight different receivers were recipients of Tua’s passes. Tua can throw receivers open. Hurts has never developed that skill.
An enormous disparity occurred with Hurts under center. During the regular season, Calvin Ridley caught 63 passes for 967 yards and five touchdowns. Next, was running back Bo Scarborough with 17 receptions. A colossal difference in 46 catches from the primary to the secondary receiver allows the opposing defense to double your primary wide receiver.
During the title game post game press conference Nick Saban had this to say about Tagovailoa:
"We’ve had this in our mind that if we were struggling offensively, that we would give Tua an opportunity, even in the last game. No disrespect to Jalen, but the real thought was, you know, they came into the game thinking we were going to run the ball and be able to run quarterback runs, which we made a couple of explosive plays on. But with the absence of a passing game and being able to make explosive plays and being able to convert on third down, I didn’t feel we could run the ball well enough, and I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did."
Championship savant
Saint Nick spelled it out for everyone. Tua provided a renewed energy not only in the offense but the defense. With every play that Tagovailoa made, the swagger from the best team in the nation reemerged.
After Georgia’s kicker, Rodrigo Blakenship nailed a 51 yarder in overtime to put the Bulldogs up 23-20, Tua took a disastrous 16-yard sack on the Tide’s first possession. Nick Saban was breathing fire as he slung his headset to the ground. Tagovailoa remained unruffled.
Unemotional to the heightened situation, the lefty did not panic on 2nd and 26. Tua just lined up and hurled a 41-yard laser to a speeding Devonta Smith brushing past Georgia’s busted Cover Two defense.
Do not expect a Baker Mayfield type offense under Saban but realize the six foot one kid from Hawaii is a once in a lifetime prospect.
Whenever Tua commands the offense, it rarely stagnates. Alabama averaged anywhere from 32.1-38.8 points per game during last nine years under Saban. Tua’s unique quarterbacking ability should allow the Tide to score over 40 points per game and dominate the opposition.
The chance to leave Alabama football as the greatest QB to play for Tide
The 66-year-old head coach’s two best quarterbacks thus far have been A.J. McCarron, and Jalen Hurts.
McCarron left Alabama football as the career passing leader with 9,019 yards. He even threw for 28 touchdowns in 2013.
Hurts stunned the Southeastern Conference and the nation as a true freshman when he led Alabama football to the national championship game in 2016.
Tua will live up to the unprecedented hype. Returning from his injury in fall camp, Tagovailoa will become the leader of the 2018 Crimson Tide. Ross Pierschbacher’s first snap at Camping World Stadium will gracefully fall into the uber-talented talented Tua Tagovailoa. He is just in another realm compared to other Alabama quarterbacks including Jalen.
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Jalen Hurts been nothing short of an exemplary student-athlete during his time at Alabama. However, it is Tua’s time to snatch the crown from Jalen and lead the Tide to title number 18.