Mac Jones handled himself well in his first career start in Alabama’s win vs. Arkansas and showed he can manage the offense should he have to start vs. LSU.
Nick Saban tried to say the right thing by going on a mid-week rant when asked about how competitive Arkansas would be against Alabama. He knew Alabama could beat the Hogs with him starting at quarterback in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa. Coach was a pretty good one back in the day in high school, but truthfully, no matter whether it was Mac Jones or Tua at quarterback, Alabama was going to win in a rout.
With Jones filling in for the injured Tua who is recovering from an ankle procedure to repair a high-ankle sprain, the Tide had their way offensively and defensively with one of the worst teams in Power Five. He was so good, Tua’s little brother, Taulia Tagovailoa got extended run in the second half.
Jones, making his first career start, threw three touchdowns on 18-of-22 passing for 235 yards. He didn’t have to be Tua to oversee an Alabama win but he put up pretty nice numbers nonetheless. In Tua’s first start, he was 12-of-16 with 227 yards and two touchdowns vs. Louisville. There it is, Jones is better than Tua. Saban has a quarterback controversy on his hands. Will Tua enter the transfer portal? Will he follow Jalen Hurts to Oklahoma?
Okay, that was fun, but let’s go back to reality.
Alabama expects to have Tua back for the Nov. 9 game vs. No. 2 LSU and should have him back at practice this week, but if there is a setback in his rehab or he just doesn’t feel right in practice in the days leading up to the latest Game of the Century, Jones showed he is more than capable of holding the fort down.
Look, LSU is in a much different class than Arkansas. That’s not up for debate. But it wasn’t an outright disaster with Jones under center. He was fully capable of getting the play out in the huddle and taking the snap from center and handing off to one of his future NFL running backs or delivering to one of his wide-open future NFL receivers. It also helps to have future NFL offensive linemen blocking for him.
In case of emergency and Tua can’t go, at least Alabama knows they can run the offense and don’t have to completely abandon parts of the playbook because the best quarterback in program history is unavailable.
The good thing is Arkansas was on the schedule this week and not LSU. And it’s a better thing LSU is coming to Alabama vs. the potential of Jones making a start in Death Valley.
There’s also the backup quarterback phenomenon where any performance is enhanced and overrated just because of the human nature of rooting for the backup to succeed.
But again, the hope is Alabama won’t have to go to the bullpen and tap Jones on the shoulder vs. LSU and Tua will be healthy enough to be his normal productive self. In the last several years, Alabama beat LSU with game managers at quarterback like Jones. It was until Jalen Hurts and Tua changed the way Alabama quarterbacks are perceived and what Saban will ask of them.
Best-case scenario, Jones got valuable experience vs. Arkansas and he won’t throw a meaningful snap the rest of the year and will enter next year as the favored successor to Tua.
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