Millions of viewers watched as Alabama and Georgia took the field for the start of the second half of the 2018 College Football Playoff Championship Game. The Crimson Tide offense was struggling against the Bulldogs’ crushing defense, so Alabama’s Nick Saban made the call to bench starting quarterback Jalen Hurts in favor of backup Tua Tagovailoa.
Saban’s decision will likely go down as one of the most significant in college football history. Tagovailoa tossed a dagger of a game-winning 41-yard touchdown to wide receiver DeVonta Smith in overtime to give the Crimson Tide the victory.
Tagovailoa finished 14-of-24 for 166 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Without him, many experts believe Alabama would have been unable to get it together and pull out the win.
That time Tua threw a dagger to finish the 2018 national championship game 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Pc5sNEzCGV
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) April 18, 2020
With less than four minutes in the contest, Tua found Calvin Ridley for a clutch score. Tagovailoa’s performance paved the way for his takeover and Hurts’ transfer to Oklahoma.
There is certainly no questions this was one of the greatest performances in a championship game in the history of the sport. Check out another angle from ESPN just below.
We’re all tied up in Atlanta late in the 4th!
Get to ESPN or the ESPN App now to catch the finish. pic.twitter.com/9WuIWxSz85
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2018
This article was written citing information and media from FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and ESPN. For more sports, news and entertainment follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like the MWSN page on Facebook.
