The Alabama Crimson Tide lost for the first time this year. There’s plenty of blame to throw around, but we shouldn’t blame Tua Tagovailoa in any capacity.
Even the best teams lose sometimes. That was the case for the Alabama Crimson Tide when the LSU Tigers came to town. Thanks to a Heisman Trophy-level performance out of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Alabama finds itself on the outside looking in at a potential College Football Playoff berth. There is plenty to blame, but we can’t blame quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa made his first start coming back from a high ankle sprain suffered late in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers a few weeks ago. He wasn’t his normal self at the start, but he played well enough to at least give his team a chance to win. It was his defense, dropped balls by his receivers and a poor first half that cost the Crimson Tide this game, not Tagovailoa.
Alabama only managed 13 points in the first half. Six of those points came on a Jaylen Waddle punt return for a touchdown. That’s not exactly how you keep pace with Burrow and the high-octane offense of LSU these days. No wonder Alabama was down 20 points at home at halftime.
Tagovailoa, along with running back Najee Harris, helped bring the Tide within reach of the Tigers. However, they could never tie or overtake LSU in this ball game at any point. Playing from behind is tough and doing so against one of the best teams in college while you’re still on the mend from an injury makes it close to impossible. That’s what Tagovailoa was up against on Saturday.
With his right ankle not close to 100 percent, playing with an obvious limp throughout the night, he completed 21-of-40 passes for 418 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a lost fumble. This would have been a landmark day for many college quarterbacks, but this was a customary performance by one of the best in the sport today, albeit not at full strength.
So when we look back at this game weeks, months and years from now, just know that Tagovailoa gave everything he had to help his team win this ballgame. Giving up 46 points at home, scoring only 13 in the first half and letting Burrow do whatever he wanted to on offense were the reasons Alabama lost on Saturday, not Tagovailoa. He should be commended for his efforts, not ridiculed.
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