When freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa took a big sack in overtime of the National Championship Game, pushing Alabama out of field-goal range, Crimson Tide fans understandably panicked.

However, we now know that Tagovailoa followed that disastrous play up with the game-winning touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, giving coach Nick Saban his sixth title and fifth with Alabama.

During a Mercedes event on Saturday, Saban joked about what Tagovailoa told him about why the sack was necessary, as you can see in the video below, shared on YouTube by AL.com:

“I asked Tua after the game, I said, ‘Why did you take a sack when we needed a field goal to stay in the game?’ He said he just needed more room to throw the ball,” Saban joked. “That’s how it happened.”

Of course, it’s easy to joke about things now that the College Football Playoff trophy is safe and sound in Tuscaloosa, but at the time, it wasn’t exactly a laughing matter.