Alabama shouldn’t be without its star quarterback for too long. An MRI Sunday revealed Tua Tagovailoa has a high-ankle sprain. However, the sophomore is expected to be able to return in time for No. 1 Alabama’s Orange Bowl matchup against No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 29.
“We have a great medical staff here, and they scope those things to get him to come back together a little bit quicker,” Saban said during the Orange Bowl teleconference. “It’s usually about a two-week deal. We’ll re-evaluate him in two weeks and see where he is… We’re hopeful that by the time we get started in practice he’ll be ready to go.”
Tagovailoa was forced out of Alabama’s 35-28 victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday after left tackle Jonah Williams stepped on his foot in the fourth quarter, causing the quarterback to turn his ankle. Tagovailoa remained on the turf for several moments as Alabama’s medical staff tended to him on the field. He was eventually helped off the field before a cart escorted him back to the locker room.
Saban said Tagovailoa injured his ankle earlier in the game before returning to action. That might have had something to do with the sophomore’s season-worst performance against the Bulldogs. Before leaving the game, Tagovailoa completed just 10 of 25 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while throwing a career-high two interceptions.
“I do think that he was affected by his ankle last night,” Saban said. “That happened early in the game and that may have affected his performance to some degree.”
Saban said Tagovailoa’s injury is similar to the one Jalen Hurts experienced during a touchdown run against Tennessee earlier this season. Hurts missed the next three weeks, including games against LSU and Mississippi State, before returning to action against The Citadel. Alabama isn’t scheduled to practice this week and will have almost a month before it travels to Miami on Dec. 24.
If Tagovailoa does return in time to face Oklahoma he will go up against a fellow Heisman contender Kyler Murray. The two quarterbacks are viewed as the two frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy and will travel to New York this week for the Heisman ceremony on Saturday night.
“I think he’s about as dynamic as any player I’ve seen all season long,” Saban said of Murray. “He has great quickness, does a good job of executing their offense. Can run, can throw, make a lot of explosive plays. They usually have a really good offensive scheme and their system is something that he flourishes in.”
Heading into last week, Tagovailoa was thought to be leading Murray in the Heisman race. However, Saturday’s poor performance coupled with Murray’s strong showing in the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas might have moved the Oklahoma quarterback ahead. Nonetheless, Saban provided one last pitch for Tagovailoa when asked about his quarterback on Sunday.
“I think he’s been one of the best players in college football all year long,” Saban said. “Maybe the most productive for the time that he played… I think that everybody should look at the whole body of work when they’re deciding who the best player is.”
Lincoln Riley gives update on Marquise Brown
Alabama isn’t the only team heading into the Orange Bowl with injury concerns. Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley was asked to provide an update on star receiver Marquise Brown, who suffered a lower-body injury during the Big 12 Championship Game.
Riley said Brown underwent preliminary tests on Saturday and Sunday but does not know the severity of Brown’s injury.
“Going to meet with the doctors in the next couple of days and see where we’re at,” Riley said on the teleconference. “It was certainly a significant enough injury that there was no way he was going to be able to return in the game. The extent of that is a little bit unknown. But we’ve got a great medical team and we’ll fight hard to try and get him back.”
If Brown is unable to go against Alabama, it would be a significant loss for the Sooners. The 5-foot-10, 168-pound junior leads the team with 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns on 75 receptions.
