College Football 2018: 5 takeaways from Conference Championship Week
4.Tua Tagovailoa may have hampered his Heisman chances
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman and as the season progressed, he lived up to the hype despite never starting a game prior to the start of the year.
However, his Heisman campaign may have reached a halt after arguably his worst performance of the season against Georgia. This is a lot to take in considering how impressively consistent he has been all season.
Tagovailoa struggled as he completed just 10-of-25 passes while throwing for 164 yards and a touchdown. He also gave away two interceptions which not only matched his previous interception count but was also the first time he had a multi-interception game this year.
That kind of performance, especially in an important game such as Saturday’s, might not bode to well in the Heisman race.
Tagovailoa’s stat line was bookended after he left the game on Saturday due to an ankle injury and was replaced by backup Jalen Hurts, who helped lead Alabama to the College Football Playoff Championship a season ago.
According to a CBS Sports report, Tagovailoa sustained a high ankle sprain after his ankle bent sideways from being stepped on from a Crimson Tide lineman.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban assured that the injury will only sideline Tagovailoa for about two weeks, which should permit him to be able to suit up when the Crimson Tide take on Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29.
Even without Tagovailoa, a sort of twist of fate occurred on Saturday. While last season Tagovailoa relieved then-starter Jalen Hurts after his struggles in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last year, Hurts reciprocated the favor by scoring the game-winning touchdown to seal Alabama’s SEC Championship win.
Coming into the season, it was well advertised that Alabama had two very capable quarterbacks worthy of winning a starting job. Hurts, who has been the backup the whole season, now potentially has the opportunity to start under center for the Crimson Tide once again to redeem himself.
Given Hurts’ experience as a starter –– by only losing two career games –– Alabama has an advantage that other teams simply don’t have. While Tagovailoa probably gives the Crimson Tide the best chance to win, Hurts will do just fine in the roll if Tagovailoa still isn’t ready to go in a few weeks.