Alabama Football: 3 takeaways from thrilling SEC championship win vs Georgia

1. Tua Tagovailoa struggled in his first SEC championship game

For as good as Tua Tagovailoa has been this season, and in the second half of last year’s College Football Playoff national championship against Georgia, it is instructive to realize that he has largely been playing with house money throughout his college career. He had nothing to lose coming in to lead the comeback against the Bulldogs to win last year’s national title, but everything to lose on Saturday in Atlanta.

It was eerie how similar his first half was to the game Jalen Hurts posted against Georgia in their January encounter for the national championship. Hurts went 3-of-8 for 21 yards in the first half of the CFP title game last year. In the first half of the SEC championship game, Tagovailoa went 3-of-10 for 35 yards and an interception. But this time Saban did not pull his starter in the second half, and Tagovailoa got a bit more comfortable in the second half.

The sophomore finished the game with 164 yards and a touchdown to go with two picks on 10-of-25 passing. He was dealing with a balky ankle, yet the Crimson Tide continued to lean on their best player. It was an understandable impulse, but the recklessness by the coaching staff might have cost him far more than a Heisman given the repeated pounding he took on Saturday as he was forced to exit in the fourth quarter.