Tua Tagovailoa carted off with injury after staying in game up 35-7

Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stayed in the game with the Crimson Tide up 35-7 and took a big hit that led to him being carted off the field.

UPDATE: Tua Tagovailoa will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture.

Tua Tagovailoa got the start for the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in Starkville against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Battling an ankle injury that he played through in last week’s loss to LSU, the star quarterback looked great early, leading Nick Saban’s team to a 35-7 lead. Then disaster struck.

Coming back onto the field with the 28-point lead, Tagovailoa was trying to pick up a first down by running out of the pocket and extending the play. In doing so, though, two Mississippi State defenders brought him down hard to the turf. And he stayed there for quite a while.

Trainers immediately came out to check on the quarterback and immediately got up a towel up to a bloody nose. However, as he was brought to his feet, it became clear that much more was wrong. Tagovailoa could not put any weight on his right leg and, though he stood up, could not walk off the field even with the help of trainers.

The cart was brought out and helped Tua back to the locker room. Here’s a look at the play and the quarterback being carted off:

According to ESPN’s Molly McGrath on the broadcast, Tagovailoa was screaming with pain as he was being helped off of the cart in the back. Moreover, it was reported that the issue is not related to his ankle but rather the Alabama quarterback’s hip.

When Tagovailoa went back onto the field with the 28-point lead for the Crimson Tide, many people were already questioning Saban for leaving his banged-up star in the game to begin with. Now, it may prove to be the most costly miscalculation possible, depending on the severity of the injury.

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