Maybe he does not need to play a full game.
In the time that Tua Tagovailoa has been on the field as Alabama’s quarterback, the offense has turned in astronomical numbers under Nick Saban. The same thing occurred in Saturday’s game against Texas A&M as the sophomore was responsible for five touchdowns in a 45-23 win.
Along with having his third performance of completing 70 percent of his throws, Tagovailoa’s 387 passing yards was a career high. While two of his scoring passes went to Devonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III, Hale Hentges brought in his other two passing scores.
Touchdown! @Tuaamann_ @Smityyy03 #BamavsTexasAM #CBS pic.twitter.com/3mbgwfaS8V
— InsideBamaRecruiting (@RTRnews) September 22, 2018
Another one…
Tua & @AlabamaFTBL are ROLLING. pic.twitter.com/8A6iLsJ2ZZ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 22, 2018
It’s not even halftime and @AlabamaFTBL‘s Tua Tagovailoa already has 3 total touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/FwE0AqN3cq
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 22, 2018
He is not particularly known for his footwork as a runner; nevertheless, the five-star is nifty in his ability to keep plays alive. His one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave the Tide a 14-7 lead as it answered the Aggies’ score from quarterback, Kellen Mond to Jace Sternberger. Regardless of the team’s drop in third-down performance – four of 10 – Alabama head coach Nick Saban was pleased with the passing game.
“We threw the ball effectively and were able to score a lot of points,” Saban said in his post-game presser after the victory.
To put things in perspective, Tagovailoa has tossed 23 touchdown passes (two seasons) and has yet to play a full game as the Tide’s starter at quarterback. Offensively, Alabama averaged at least 500 yards in its first four games while being solid on third down and scoring efficiently in the red zone.
Even with players like Bryce Love of Stanford, Drew Lock of Missouri and Kyler Murray of Oklahoma among others seeing more action, Tagovailoa’s effectiveness in a short time span should mean more to Heisman voters – in terms of how exciting the Tide has become.
It will have the next two days off, but the Hawaiian native and his buddies are scheduled to return to practice on Tuesday.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
