Alabama Football: Tua Tagovailoa must start in 2018

1. Tagovailoa dazzled in his first meaningful action of the season

Tua Tagovailoa had been used sparingly during the 2017 season. The redshirt freshman from Hawaii had seen plenty of garbage time moments with his team up by a couple of scores. He hadn’t been asked to lead the offense in a high-pressure situation, let alone with the fate of the entire season on the line.

Entering the championship game, Tagovailoa had attempted 53 passes all season, completing 35 of them for 470 yards and eight touchdowns. He had one interception. Most of the secondaries he had faced all season had been gassed by the repeated body blows dealt them by a physical Alabama offense, but that wasn’t the case in this instance.

Tagovailoa not only faced a fresh, ravenous Georgia defense; he put on a show. He needed just two drives to surpass Hurts’ passing statistics in the first half, and one of those drives was a three-and-out on his first offensive series. The freshman set season highs in completions (14), attempts (24) and carries (12). His 6-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III was the first Alabama touchdown of the game, and the first of three from Tagovailoa.

Saban knew the gamble he was taking when he put Tagovailoa into a game of this magnitude. If it weren’t for Tagovailoa, the Tide might never have gotten into this game at all. Alabama needs a game-changer not a game manager and Tagovailoa proved he can make plays.