The 'Hawaiian Tim Tebow' comes off bench, wins game in miraculous fashion
Well, that worked out for Nick Saban.
After an abysmal first half that saw the Alabama Crimson Tide dig a 13-0 deficit against the Georgia Bulldogs, Saban rolled the dice by benching sophomore starting quarterback Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa, a move that breathed new life into the Tide.
Tagovailoa, a lefty quarterback from St. Louis high school in Hawaii, struggled in his first series, but promptly bounced back, rallying Alabama to a 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia for college football’s national championship.
On his second series of the game, Tagovailoa broke free from a litany of Bulldogs defenders on a third-down play and narrowly avoided what appeared to be a certain sack for a much needed first down.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolAlabama/status/950571649954406401
Tagovailoa then ripped a touchdown pass to the back of the end zone to put Alabama on the board.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolAlabama/status/950572149596737538
Tagovailoa’s left-handed throwing mechanics, his scrambling ability and his open faith have made many draw a comparison between him and former Florida standout Tim Tebow.
Unfortunately for Tagovailoa, his defense let him down on the next Georgia possession when the normally stout unit gave up a touchdown bomb to Bulldogs speedster Mecole Hardman Jr., putting Georgia ahead 20-7.
Mecole Hardman TD catch gives #Georgia 20-7 lead #GoDawgs #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/Gh6kbnjTi0
— The Nation. (@SportsRecruits) January 9, 2018
Tagovailoa, who has only played in a 56-0 rout of Mercer this season, showed his relative inexperience with a bad interception on the ensuing drive after the Hardman Jr. touchdown.
And yet, Tagovailoa rewarded Saban a few possessions later with a clutch fourth-down touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley, once again harnessing some of that Tebow-esque magic.
https://twitter.com/abdulamemon/status/950589542029029377
Tagovailoa’s second touchdown pass tied the game at 20-20 on a fourth-and-2 with less than four minutes remaining in the game..
After the game went to overtime, Tagovailoa needed some more magic after taking a sack that pushed the Crimson Tide out of field goal range. Alabama needed at least a field goal to respond to Georgia’s opening overtime field goal.
Tagovailoa did this.
BAMA WINS. TUA CONFIRMED GOAT pic.twitter.com/O3KkQtolbv
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 9, 2018
Just like Tebow, Tagovailoa is a dual-threat quarterback.
Just like Tebow, Tagovailoa is a left-handed thrower.
Just like Tebow, Tagovailoa is unafraid to wear his faith on his sleeves.
“All glory goes to God,” Tagovailoa said after the game.
Just like Tebow, Tagovailoa is a national champion in college football.
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