Nick Saban provides update on Alabama's ongoing QB battle
The entire college football world is awaiting a decision from coach Nick Saban on whether Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa will start at quarterback for Alabama this season.
On Tuesday, he provided a little bit of insight into the battle, though there’s no final decision just yet.
Speaking with Chris Low of ESPN, Saban said both guys are playing well and there might be chances for both to play this fall:
“Both guys (Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa) are playing pretty well, so we’ll just keep going and see if anybody separates,” Saban told ESPN on Tuesday.
“There could be a role for both of them, but there’s been no decision made either way. Just like every position, there’s good competition at quarterback, and nobody’s backing away from that competition. As much as anybody, the other kids on the team will let us know which one of those guys gives us the best chance to win. The good thing is that we’ve won with both.”
There are still a few more practices to go before a decision needs to be made, so it’s likely both will continue to take first-team reps.
Who starts in Week 1 against Louisville, though, remains a mystery.
I can’t wait to see which of these guys punches Bama’s ticket to Northern California next January.
Won’t be Hurst i do believe. That Tau is a beast!!
Good news for Bama is either guy could probably win 10+ games. Plenty of talent at RB – don’t see an urgent need for Bama to rely on passing attack — but its nice to have that balance.
Tua looked very poised and is probably the better of the two — but Bama has a few swing games. Will be interesting to watch how Saban manages his two QBs.
Don’t tell me prejudice does not exist. I guess Desmond does not like polynesian people. First you never bet against Vegas, second even if Tua finished 10th on Heisman list that is better than Hurts, third deep down everyone not a Bama fan wants Bama to lose, and last but not least how do we give Hurts a pass after starting as a true freshman and losing the biggest games, but then dismiss Tua for bringing a team back 23 down in just 2 quarters in the Super Bowl of college football?
Betting against Vegas?? … hmmm, For comparison look at the results of this past years Masters Golf Tourney. Eventual winner Reed wasn’t even in the top 15 projected to win. Runner-up Fowler was the 13th pick to win; third place finisher Speith was the 5th overall projected winner.
Someone with more time on their hands can research the last 5 years of Heisman winners – Vegas sets odds in order to pull money in. Period. They don’t care if they’re right or wrong – as long as they have more losers than winners.
Hurts vs Tua – I think Saban and his staff is better qualified to choose than a bunch of armchair quarterbacks on SDS. Either way, even the best QBs have bad games, throw INTs, and lose.
Before the NC, no one was screaming to pull Jalen. Bama was winning – don’t fix what ain’t broke. Oddly enough, if your coaches knew how great Tua was, why didn’t they put him in during the Iron Bowl?
Bottom line, are Bama fans ready to saddle up with Tua and endure the highs & lows that will likely occur? Or will you turn your back on him mid-season and say put Jalen back in?
Hurts plays well enough against average defenses, but struggles to throw the football against higher quality defense.. i first noticed that in the playoff game against Washington.. He struggled this past year against Auburn,Clemson & Georgia.. he has done a great job of not turning the football over because it takes no chances throwing the ball.. he’s simply not a playmaker throwing the football.. Tua appears to be.. could be wrong.. but that has us bama fans excited
Sue, you are wrong, sports books do not gamble. They set the lines in order to get exactly half the money on each team. They then adjust the lines regularly in order to maintain the balance.They take 10% and call it a day. They have zero interest in having more losers than winners as that would be a gamble based on a human opinion or computer analysis.
#18. You’re correct. That was my point – I did a poor job of stating it. Thx for clarifying