For the defending champs, QB quandary not Tua much to handle

Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t a savior. He was lying on the ground, 16 yards from where his first overtime play started.

On one sideline, Nick Saban screamed about the inexperienced teenager’s inexcusable sack. Across the field, Georgia celebrated, standing just three downs from handing Alabama a second straight crushing national-championship loss.

Less than 40 seconds later, Saban’s backup plan became the future of a dynasty, following Tagovailoa’s 41-yard champion- ship-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. Without ever starting a college game, Tagovailoa became a Heisman Trophy favorite.

But before entering in the second half of the title game and rescuing Alabama from a 13-0 deficit, Tagovailoa wasn’t sure he’d even come back to Tuscaloosa and spoke with his father about transferring to USC.

“I wanted to leave the school,” Tagovai l oa said t hi s s pr i ng, speaking to children in his native Hawaii. “So I told myself if I didn’t play in the last game, which was the national championship game, I would transfer out.”

Tagovailoa — whose younger brother, Taulia, also recently committed to Alabama as a quarterback — had long expected to be a Trojan. USC was his “dream school,” a West Coast power reliably on TV and routinely playing at island-friendly hours.

When he ultimately chose Alabama, the top-rated high school quarterback in the country said he wasn’t concerned about competing with Jalen Hurts — the SEC Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman — but began questioning his decision when his only action during his first season came in gar- bage time. Before the national-title game, Tagovailoa hadn’t appeared in four of the previous five games.

Then, one half of unexpected heroics — completing 14-of-24 passes for 166 yards with three touchdowns — made Tagovailoa the most intriguing player in the country.

Still, he may not even end up the starter.

When the excitement of that magical Monday night in Atlanta faded, Hurts was still 26-2 as a starter and the quarterback who had led the Crimson Tide to backto-back title games. One game before America met Tagovaiola, Hurts was the Sugar Bowl offensive MVP.

Despite speculation Hurts might transfer, the two-year starter intended on staying — and graduating this December — and was surprised Saban said this summer he was unsure if the junior would even be on the roster this season.

When Hurts watched his backup seemingly steal his job and rise into Alabama immortality, he displayed remarkable poise and professionalism. In the aftermath, Hurts was bothered the coaching staff didn’t act the same and never spoke with him about the awkward situation.

“No one asked me what was on

my mind,” Hurts said at Alabama’s media day. “No one asked me how I felt about the things that were going on. Nobody asked me what my future held.”

Though the legendary coach still hasn’t determined who will be under center against Louisville in the Sept. 1 season opener, Alabama — winner of two of the past three national titles and five of the past nine — became the second-ever team ranked No. 1 in the AP poll in three straight preseasons.

The last defending champion to open the season No. 1 (Ohio State) entered with similar quarterback drama, torn between a Heisman contender who led the Buckeyes through most of the 2014 season (J.T. Barrett) and a backup (Cardale Jones) who led them to a national title.

Jones, like Tagovailoa, was the sexy pick and better pro prospect, with seemingly unlimited potential. Barrett, like Hurts, was a dual-threat, with a greater body of work. Jones was named the starter. By mid-October, Barrett reclaimed the spot. Ohio State went 12-1 but didn’t reach the playoff.

Qualifying for the playoff hasn’t been a problem for Alabama yet, making each of the four semifinals, with three different quarterbacks. In Saban’s six national championships, he’s had five different quarterbacks.

For now, Tagovailoa and Hurts receive equal reps in practice. When the season starts, the battle may just be getting started.

“There could be a role for both of them, but there’s been no decision made either way,” Saban said last week. “Nobody’s backing away from that competition. As much as anybody, the other kids on the team will let us know which one of those guys gives us the best chance to win. The good thing is that we’ve won with both.”