Mac Jones will be the Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa out but can he lead the Tide to the College Football Playoff?
UPDATE: Tua Tagovailoa will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture.
One week after losing to LSU, Tua Tagovailoa was a game-time decision to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide against Mississippi State. He got the start and led the Tide to a 35-7 lead but, as he came back out despite the lead, he took a big hit trying to extend a third-down play. The result was him being carted off the field to the locker room with a hip injury.
Tagovailoa was given X-rays in the back of Davis Wade Stadium but, as of now, the severity of the injury is unknown. But given the scene that played out in Starkville, there is rightful concern about the immediate future of the quarterback. In Tua’s wake on Saturday, though, Mac Jones again stepped in.
With a win seemingly already locked up against the Bulldogs, Alabama is clearly doing what they must to get back into the top four of the College Football Playoff. The loss to LSU dropped them to No. 5 in the rankings but, with crucially tough games remaining for the four teams ahead of them, the Crimson Tide have the chance to still make it to the CFP.
The question is if Mac Jones is capable of leading them the rest of the way. It should first be noted that Jones should have no problem in Week 13 against Western Carolina. The week after, however, Alabama heads to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Iron Bowl against Auburn. With the Crimson Tide likely not going to the SEC Championship Game, that’s the most critical contest remaining for them.
Make no mistake, Jones is not Tagovailoa. No one is going to liken the backup quarterback to the possible No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Having said that, he has impressed in the 2019 season when on the field.
Jones has one start to his credit for his Alabama career, starting on Oct. 26 against Arkansas as Tagovailoa missed a game with an ankle injury. Against a bad Razorbacks team, Jones shined, going 18-of-22 for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, not even needing to play four quarters in the 48-7 win.
Auburn is a much greater test for the largely unproven Jones, though. They have an elite defense, specifically in regards to the pressure they can bring. And the truth is that we don’t know how Jones will handle being pressured to that degree or how he’ll fare under the pressure of a rivalry game.
Working in Jones and subsequently Alabama’s favor, though, is the weapons around the quarterback. Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III (though he left the field due to injury), DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are the best wide receiver corps in the country. Najee Harris is an elite college running back. Then there’s an offensive line with two potential first-round tackles, Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Wills.
You can’t ask for a better situation for a backup quarterback to step into. He’ll have all of the help that you can ask for. The talent around Jones might be enough for the Crimson Tide to do what they need to (win against Western Carolina and Auburn) have a shot at the College Football Playoff. In fact, that might be the safe bet.
What’s certain, however, is that it’s far more in question and less likely than it would be with Tagovailoa at the helm.
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