Tua Tagovailoa has dominated the 2018 Heisman Trophy race, but an injury that took him out of the game in Week 11 may open the door for him to be overtaken.
It’s no secret that Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has dominated the 2018 Heisman Trophy race and the talk around the most prestigious award in the sport. In his first year as the starter under Nick Saban, the true sophomore has been arguably better than anyone would have projected, playing near perfect football and making the Crimson Tide a juggernaut on offense.
What’s more, Tagovailoa passed his first test in Week 10 of the regular season, and did so with aplomb. The young quarterback went up against the stout LSU Tigers defense and, though he finally threw his first interception of the season, that was the only black mark on his day. He led the way to domination for Alabama and seemingly cemented himself as the 2018 Heisman winner.
That is, he did so until Week 11 against Mississippi State.
Tua has been nursing a minor knee injury in recent weeks, playing in a heavy brace. However, it hadn’t fully limited him until Saturday. Taking on pressure all day from the Bulldogs fierce front-seven, Tagovailoa started to weather down in regards to his injury, ultimately being forced out of the game in the third quarter. He did not return.
With leaving early, that left his numbers looking pedestrian against Mississippi State. What’s more, that also leaves the possibility that Alabama will sit him against The Citadel next week and leaves his status in question for going up against Auburn the following week.
Subsequently, the door is now more open than it has been for much of the year in regards to the Heisman Trophy. While it’s tough to see a remarkable player possibly lose the award due to injury. It’s in the cards now depending on how things shake out with the Alabama quarterback moving forward.
As for Week 11, here are how the top 10 candidates for the 2018 Heisman Trophy look in the midst of Tua’s injury.
10. D’Eriq King, QB, Houston
After a massive victory over South Florida, it looked as if D’Eriq King had the Houston Cougars primed to make a dark horse run at the AAC Championship. In the two weeks since, however, the Cougars have dropped both games and now have three losses overall on the year. That certainly causes King’s stock to take a hit, but his production keeps him in the top 10.
In the loss to Temple on Saturday, King threw for 322 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception, all while also rushing for 125 yards and another touchdown. That gives him 35 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing scores and nearly 3,500 total yards on the season to this point. While he could be higher if his team had kept winning, those kinds of numbers are hard to ignore completely.
9. Eric Dungey, QB, Syracuse
The outcome for Friday night’s contest between the now-13th-ranked Syracuse Orange and the Louisville Cardinals was never truly in doubt as the latter has been one of the under-the-radar worst teams in college football this season. What’s more, the Orange have been quite dangerous for most of the season, particularly with quarterback Eric Dungey leading the charger.
Against the Cards, Dungey threw for just 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but added 62 rushing yards and two more scores. That’s been pretty much his calling card this season, though. He’s not been overly productive through the air this season, but he makes an impact in every game, particularly with his legs. When you have that and combine it with the surprising success of Syracuse, it’s all too much to ignore in the Heisman race.