No snap decision at QB
Hurts/Tagovailoa battle dominates chatter
Thirteenth in a series previewing the 2018 SEC football season
ATLANTA — Alabama senior center Ross Pierschbacher is asked the question on a daily basis — usually more than once — and it’s not just around campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“I go back home and people are asking me,” said Pierschbacher, who is from Cedar Falls, Iowa. “I’m a thousand miles away from Alabama and people are still asking me about it. Even family members ask me.
“If I had a dollar for every time I heard the question, I’d be a rich man. I’d be able to retire.”
The question everyone
is asking: Who will be Alabama’s starting quarterback?
Junior Jalen Hurts is 26-2 as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback, and he’s
healthy going into fall camp, but there’s no guarantee he will take the first snap when Alabama opens the season against Louisville on Sept. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could make his first career start after he came off the bench to rally Alabama to a 26-23 victory over Georgia in last season’s College Football Playoff championship game.
Pierschbacher smiled when asked at SEC football media days recently what he would have said to someone a year ago if told Hurts might not be the starting quarterback in 2018.
“I’d have said you’re crazy,” he said. “But it’s a testament to recruiting and bringing in a lot of talented guys.
“Really, at Alabama, your position is never safe regardless of who you are. Going in, you could be a returning starter, but you’re still battling for your spot.”
The Tide’s quarterback situation might be clearer if Tagovailoa — who throws left-handed — hadn’t been limited in spring practice because of a left wrist injury. He missed several practices, including the intrasquad game.
“I think the number one thing that you will want to talk about is the quarterback controversy that you’d love to create, that you’ve already created, that you will continue to create, and I will tell you the same thing exists there,” Alabama Coach Nick Saban said in his opening statement at SEC media days. “It’s still to be determined as to who is going to play quarterback for Alabama.
“So you can ask all of the questions about it, but it’s still to be determined.”
Saban became irritated when he got more questions about the quarterbacks, including whether he is confident Hurts will remain on the team when the season opens.
The point of the question presumably was that Hurts might transfer if he isn’t named the starter.
“Well, I have no idea,” Saban said. “I expect him to be here. I think it’s our job to give both players a very fair opportunity to have a chance to win the team at their position.
“Obviously, both are capable. We’ll create a role for … both of those guys on our team, and they’ll all have to make a decision based on what that outcome is as to what their future is at Alabama.
“We certainly would love for every player on our team to stay at the University of Alabama and graduate. Jalen has a great opportunity to do that in December. So, we are hopeful that he will stay and be a graduate regardless of what his circumstance is as a player.
“But that’s not to minimize his chances of being a starter and making a great contribution to our team in some way, even if he isn’t a starter.”
Hurts completed 154 of 255 passes (60.4 percent) for 17 touchdowns with just 1 interception last season. He also rushed 154 times for 855 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Numbers like those would figure to assure a returning starter of keeping his job, but Hurts struggled against Georgia. He completed 3 of 8 passes for 21 yards in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 13-0 lead.
Saban made the decision to start Tagovailoa in the second half, and he completed 14 of 24 passes for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 41-yarder in overtime to DeVonta Smith on second-and-26 to win the game.
Going into the game, Tagovailoa had completed 35 of 53 passes for 470 yards and 8 touchdowns in mop-up duty.
“We have two guys who have played the quarterback position at a very high level, two guys who are incredible leaders for our team,” Alabama senior running back Damien Harris said at SEC media days. “Two guys who have very infectious personalities, two guys that people love to be around, two guys that people love to play alongside of.
“Whatever happens after Coach Saban decides, either one of them can handle the situation. They have been very respectable and push each other every day to be better.”
Pierschbacher agreed Hurts and Tagovailoa are popular with their teammates and mature.
“They don’t have a big head about anything,” Pierschbacher said. “It’s not like one guy is evil and the other is the good guy. They’re both great guys. It makes it tough, but only one guy can go out there on Saturdays. It’s a business decision. Whatever is best for the team.”
Harris said the quarterbacks are friends.
“You’d never think it was much of a competition going on, how close they are,” Harris said. “They’re always working together. The whole team feels that whichever wins the job, they’ll be supported.”
Pierschbacher said he’s impressed by the mutual respect between Hurts and Tagovailoa.
“You’d expect guys in their situation to be butting heads and kind of trash talking, but they’ve both been very mature about it,” Pierschbacher said. “It’s like, ‘May the best man win.’
“They’ve taken the high road on all this stuff, and I think that’s the right approach.”
Pierschbacher said he wouldn’t want to be the one making a decision about the starting quarterback.
“They’re both going to get equal opportunities, so we’ll just see what they do with it,” he said.
“Regardless of what happens, they’re both going to be better quarterbacks because of the competition.”
Saban said he hasn’t determined anything about which quarterback will start.
“They need to continue to compete, like every other person at every other position on our team is competing,” Saban said. “And I love both guys. They’re both really good competitors. They are really good people. They are good leaders.
“So somebody’s got to win the team, and however these guys can help the team, I hope they are both committed to staying and doing that.”