USA TODAY International Edition
Even Tua surprised by Alabama’s amazing offense
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It has all come so quickly, and maybe after the way last season finished — literally, we mean the actual finish — we thought something like this could happen. But this fast? This fantastic?
Tua Tagovailoa shakes his head and smiles. “I couldn’t have envisioned it this way,” he says, “the kind of success we’ve been having with our offense.”
Who could have? Two-thirds of the way through the season, life is unquestionably good for Alabama’s sophomore quarterback. He’s the clear Heisman Trophy favorite. And if eight games in, the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 again and the overwhelming favorite to win yet another national championship, it is not simply the same old formula.
Alabama’s offense is easily the best and most explosive of Nick Saban’s dynastic tenure. The Crimson Tide lead the nation in scoring (54.1 points), total offense (564.3 yards), passing efficiency (226.29) and third-down conversions (56.2 percent). They’re near the top in several other categories.
And Tagovailoa is the biggest catalyst.
We first got to know him during the national championship game in January, when he replaced starter Jalen Hurts in the second half and led the Tide to a win in overtime. That touchdown dagger he tossed on 2nd-and-26 ended the season with an exclamation point and fueled anticipation for what might be possible this season.
But this? His performance that night against Georgia, he nods in agreement, was uneven. One example: On the play before the winning TD, Tagovailoa took a terrible sack. But there have been no visible growing pains.
“Tua’s been incredible,” says Alabama left tackle Jonah Williams, perhaps understating things a tad.
There are plenty of glittering statistics to choose from: a 70 percent completion rate, 25 TD passes without an interception. We could go on, but try this one on for size: In eight games, Tagovailoa has quarterbacked 61 possessions. Forty-one have finished with touchdowns, five more ended with field goals. Only 15 did not result in points.
“It takes everyone to make this offense so good,” Tagovailoa says, and then he lists the wide receivers, tight ends, running backs and offensive line — oh, and the coaches, too.
He is surrounded by astounding talent. But with Tagovailoa, Alabama has morphed from mundane into monstrous. His passing ability is the reason the Crimson Tide have devastated opponents before halftime — usually, by the end of the first quarter — and why he has not yet played in a fourth quarter.
Saban, who is not given to hyperbole, simply refers to an old football axiom: Along with talent, he says, Tagovailoa simply has “it,” the intangible quality that defines the best quarterbacks.
“It’s hard to get anybody to define exactly what ‘it’ is in a quarterback,” Saban says. “It’s not just about athletic ability or arm talent or any of those things. There’s an instinct to playing the position, to being able to make quick decisions based on a lot of moving parts — your guys, their guys — and know where to go with the ball based on what’s presented to you. … Tua has a really good capacity and is very instinctive in terms of making those decisions, and he’s very accurate with the ball.”
Tagovailo is trying to improve, apparently because he has been slightly shy of perfect. He says his decision-making needs work.
And there’s been some luck involved in the performances, too.
“There’s been about a handful of times where I believe I should have gotten picked off,” he says, but then he grins. “The other team just didn’t want to catch it, I guess.”