Backup QB Hurts boosts ’Bama to SEC title following Tua injury

ATLANTA — In a dramatic twist on last season’s national championship game, Jalen Hurts came off the bench to pass for one touchdown and run for another in the fourth quarter, rallying No. 1 Alabama to a 35-28 win over No. 4 Georgia for the SEC title Saturday.

Heisman Trophy favorite Tua Tagovailoa had to be helped off the field with just over 11 minutes remaining after one of his own linemen stepped on

the quarterback’s right ankle as he attempted to throw.

Enter Hurts, who led Alabama to the national title game as a freshman but lost the starting job to Tagovailoa. Hurts calmly guided the Crimson Tide (13-0, No. 1 CFP) to a gametying touchdown with a 10-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, capping a 16-play, 80-yard drive that consumed more than 7 minutes .

After Georgia (11-2, No. 4 CFP) was stuffed on a fake punt near midfield, Hurts took matters into his own hands for the winning score. Spotting an opening up the middle, he took off on a 15-yard TD run with 1:04 remaining .

“All year, I’ve kind of been waiting on my opportunity,” Hurts said. “My opportunity came today. I worked so hard this week with my teammates. We found a way to get it done today.”

This was a reversal of the storyline from last season’s national title game, when Tagovailoa replaced an ineffective Hurts at the start of the second half with Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0. The replacement threw three touchdown passes, including a 41yarder in overtime that gave the Tide a stunning 26-23 victory.

This time, it was Hurts who bailed out the Crimson Tide. When he trotted off the field after the winning TD, Tagovailoa was one of the first ones to greet him on the sideline.

Alabama coach Nick Saban summed it up best: “Wow.”