Alabama Football: How special Tua and this Crimson Tide offense may become
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football fans are treading unfamiliar terrain with an explosive offense and by most measurements, the most talented quarterback in college football.
Tua Tagovailoa is an uncommon jewel for Alabama football. So far in his short career, he is the rare combination of gunslinger AND game manager combined. Extraordinary gunslinger numbers belong to Tua by throwing a touchdown pass in every 6.3 pass attempts. Fourteen TD passes in 88 passes, with zero interceptions, also qualifies Tua as superb in game management.
We Alabama football fans shake our heads in wonder. If the current Tua trajectory continues, some of, maybe many of us may be claiming Tua is the Crimson Tide’s greatest player ever. The more grounded among us point out Tua’s magic has been mostly against sub-standard defenses. No doubt, that bit of brake-pumping is valid.
In the seemingly inevitable stretch run of LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and Georgia (no disrespect intended to the Cats) Tua will battle strong defenses. In the current FBS ranking of Scoring Defense, LSU is No. 12; Mississippi State No. 8; Georgia (tied with the Tide) is No. 5 and Auburn is No. 3. What the Tide’s Superman will do against top defenses carefully schemed to negate him, is only a guess. But we have clues, like the one below, compliments of ESPN.
In the last 15 seasons, no college QB has had a better QBR through 5 games than Tua. pic.twitter.com/PanmimSG2P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 2, 2018
On Tuesday, media was allowed to interview Tua for the first time this season. Alabama Crimson Tide reporting veteran, Christopher Walsh described the current attention on Tua a “spectacle.” It is hard to find a better one-word description. Winning, starting Crimson Tide QB’s have been deified by Alabama football fans going back to Dixie Howell.
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Crimson Tide history buffs will feel slighted if it is not mentioned Howell was a halfback in the Notre Dame Box run by coach, Frank Thomas. But he was the passing halfback, described by a west coast writer for his 1935 Rose Bowl performance, (quote from the Tuscaloosa News.)
"Then like arrows from Robin Hood’s trusty bow, there shot from Howell’s unerring hand a stream of passes the like of which has never been seen in football on the coast. Zing, zing, zing! They whizzed through the air and found their mark …"
Zinging and finding a mark are apt descriptions for what Tua does every time he plays. Alabama football fans are not wrong to hold him in such high esteem.
Even the usually taciturn in praise, Nick Saban admitted Tua has “exceeded expectations” in terms of consistency. Asked about Saban’s comment on Tuesday, Tua said,
"Coach Saban said I exceeded his expectations, I don’t think I did. He has to be joking with you guys because that’s definitely not what coach Saban would tell us."
The expectations for Tua will continue to build. He and the Alabama football offense could become record-setters this season. How many points the Tide scores or how many touchdowns Tua throws will not be Nick Saban’s primary measurement of success. Nick Saban leaves no detail outside his scrutiny but when it comes to numbers, it will be two, two-digit numbers that overshadow all others. They are 27 and 18. Alabama Crimson Tide fans understand the significance of both.
Next. The gap between the Tide and everyone else. dark
Stay tuned in Alabama football fans. Next week, halfway through the 2018 regular season, we will project what offensive records might be broken by the end of the full season.