×

Saban’s move to Tagovailoa a stroke of genius

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa runs during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Georgia, Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

You don’t win five national championships in nine years without brilliant coaching moves, but even the great Nick Saban may have outdid himself in Monday’s national championship game against Georgia.

Trailing 13-0 and getting dominated on both sides of the ball, Saban benched quarterback Jalen Hurts, the 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year at halftime in favor of true freshman Tua Tagovailoa, a young man who had attempted just 18 passes in his first collegiate season.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Tagovailoa directed the Tide comeback, which was completed with a 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith to send ‘Bama to a 26-23 overtime victory that cemented Saban’s legacy as perhaps the greatest college coach ever.

Hindsight being 20/20, reasonable minds can look back and say it was an easy decision for Saban to make.

It wasn’t.

Hurts, a former 4-star recruit, is widely respected within the Alabama locker room and had compiled a 25-2 record in two seasons as the starter. He was a DeShaun Watson touchdown pass with two seconds left in the title game last season away from having accomplished the feat that Tagovailoa guided the Tide to on Monday.

It was bold, it could have backfired and it wasn’t without its flaws.

But you don’t get to be in a position that Saban is without taking some risks along the way.

Tagovailoa wasn’t perfect – he threw what looked to be a costly interception after Georgia had went up 20-7 in the third quarter. But his defense helped him out, picking off Georgia true freshman Jake Fromm on the very next play.

And the 16-yard sack he took in overtime could have been disastrous, with kicker Andy Pappanastos clearly lacking in confidence after badly missing a 36-yard attempt as time expired in regulation, thus forcing overtime. I mean, it was something that looked straight out of a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

But no, the 19-year old Hawaiian native and 5-star recruit, looking like a left-handed version of Russell Wilson, delivered a strike to an open Smith for the win.

I think it’s fair to say, despite the high of Monday night, that his best days are ahead of him.

For Saban, what lies ahead isn’t quite as clear.

What more does he have to prove? At what point will the now 66-year old ride off into the sunset?

He has accomplished everything there is to accomplish as a coach. Winning five titles in nine years in today’s world of college football is nothing short of remarkable.

He is the best to ever do it, bar none, period, end of discussion.

But my guess is he’s not done yet, because he has a drive that only the very best in any walk of life have.

For Saban, winning never gets old, and as he proved on Monday, he’s finding new ways to do it.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today