Alabama QB tops Heisman survey

Tagovailoa popular among trophy voters

At some point, Tua Tagovailoa’s fourth-quarter numbers have to improve.

As it happens, the Alabama quarterback has yet to take a snap in the 2018 season in the final period. OK, he did have a rather memorable fourth-quarter performance in January. Thus far in the current season, however, all he’s done is compile the best passing efficiency numbers in the country, primarily in first-half action, providing another dimension to the already dangerous Crim-

son Tide attack, which is off to a comfortable 5-0 start.

Tagovailoa continues to lead the USA

TODAY Network Heisman survey. He was picked first by 10 of the 13 voters who work for USA TODAY Sports and Gannett properties, and he was again the only player named on all the surveys. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray has moved up to second after another big day against Baylor.

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley is in third place overall, though his tremendous individual effort that accounted for 461 yards of total offense wasn’t enough to get the Nittany Lions past Ohio State. The winning quarterback in that game, the Buckeyes’ Dwayne Haskins, was mentioned on only four surveys and fell to fifth overall after being the second-leading vote-getter in the initial survey.