Alabama football fans feared the worst Saturday night, thinking Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle injury might mean Mac Jones having to lead the Tide offense against LSU.
Scanning several Alabama football message boards Sunday morning showed widespread doubt among Tide fans. There was much discussion of how long it takes for a high ankle sprain to heal. The consensus is some time after the LSU game.
Nick Saban first called Tua’s injury a high ankle sprain, but later Saturday night, he described it as a twisted ankle. That statement gave some Tide fans a glimmer of hope.
The general ‘sky is falling’ attitude is fueled by both the loss of Tua and the addition of Mac Jones. Considering the situation Saturday night, Jones did okay. He missed two or three throws, but he was 6-for-11 passing. He failed to see an outside blitz coming and was nailed for a sack. But his teammates did not pick it up either as the Vols overloaded the right side of their defense. Mac is no Tua but he is enough to beat Arkansas.
There was some good Tua news on Saturday night. The injured ankle is not the same one he hurt last season. The Alabama football staff did not put him in a boot last night. Tua made a short trip to a hospital and returned to the locker room. He was celebrating with his teammates after the game. According to Terrell Lewis, Tua expects to be back for LSU,
"He said, ‘I’ll be back for LSU,’ I know how Tua is. It’s something he’s been through before, so I don’t doubt the fact that he’s a competitor. He’s going to get right back, and he’ll be fine."
Assuming Tua and Terrell are correct, the question is how much will Tua still be hampered by the injury. At 75-80 percent, Tua might not match the excellence reflected in the tweet below. But Steve Sarkisian has plenty of time to adjust the Alabama football offense so Tua does not have to run. As long as he can plant both feet solidly before he throws, a less mobile Tua could still be effective against LSU.
ESPN TOTAL QBR SEASON
— CFB Focus 🏈 (@cffmwachsman) October 20, 2019
1 Tua Tagovailoa/BAMA 95.6
2 Jalen Hurts/OKLA 95.2
3 Justin Fields/OHST 94.5
4 Joe Burrow/LSU 93.3
5 Tyler Huntley/UTAH 87.0
6 Malcolm Perry/NAVY 85.0
7 Jack Abraham/USM 81.4
8 Michael Penix Jr/IND 80.8
9 Jack Coan/WIS 80.6
10 Kyle Trask/FLA 80.0#CFB150
The post linked above presumes a healthy Tua. The Alabama football defense will have to play its best if the Tide is led by Mac Jones, or a not fully recovered Tua, in the LSU game.