In a surprising move from Alabama football’s head coach entering the second half, Tua Tagovailoa took his opportunity to start, and won a national title.
Alabama football claimed the ultimate prize in college football, for the fifth time in nine years, on Jan. 8. Behind true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide won an absolute thriller in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts was benched after the first half of the National Championship Game. That did not seem to phase him, as Hurts was apparently the first to congratulate Tagovailoa after he tossed his first touchdown of the contest.
There’s multiple storylines to discuss from this game, but Tagovailoa’s resilience in overtime is the main one. Alabama’s opponent, the Georgia Bulldogs, looked to possibly have the matchup locked up after sacking Tagovailoa on his first snap of overtime, handing him a 16-yard loss.
However, Tagovailoa threw a bomb on the following play, to freshman wide receiver Devonta Smith, for a 41-yard touchdown. Smith instantly became Alabama’s leading receiver with just that one catch.
The poise and mindset it takes for a quarterback to do what Tagovailoa did, as a true freshman, is unprecedented. He was facing a true freshman on the other sideline in Georgia’s Jake Fromm. Tagovailoa gave the Tide exactly what it needed in the second half, to get the final push to victory.
Between all the National Championships won in all of Saban’s years in Tuscaloosa, this might actually be the most potent quarterback that he’s had. Tagovailoa was a highly-touted recruit that proved his worth on the biggest stage possible. His big arm and mobility in the pocket are a unique combination that could make him successful in the SEC moving forward.
It will be talked about all off-season, and a headline to watch, as the quarterback battle between Hurts and Tagovailoa takes place. However, seeing Hurts support Tagovailoa’s success to that degree is a great sign for the Tide.
Next: Takeaways from Alabama's National Championship win
If Tagovailoa had started the entire game, he could have thrown for more than 300 yards. In the final quarter of the most important game of the college football season, he totaled more than 200 yards and three touchdowns.