ESPN analyst Trevor Matich explains where Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa can improve
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Former BYU center and current ESPN college football analyst Trevor Matich joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday, and gave his thoughts on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Like almost everyone else in the country after watching Tagovailoa’s first start, Matich was blown away.
“What I saw there is when that ball leaves Tua’s hand, it looks like it’s rocket-propelled, with an internal guidance system,” said Matich. “It is astonishing how that thing flies out of his hand and then finds its way down into the exact perfect spot over and over again.
“I think this will be the most fun season from an entertainment standpoint that we’ve seen from Alabama in memory.”
Finebaum asked the analyst a question defensive coordinators all over the SEC will be asking themselves all season — where does he need to improve?
“He needs to make sure he doesn’t take the big sack,” answered Matich. “He needs to make sure he doesn’t force the ball into a place it shouldn’t go. He needs to not believe his own hype because the laws of physics still apply to him.
“That football will not disappear inside a defender’s chest and then materialize on the opposite side into the hands of his receiver. So he’s got to make sure he stays football humble.”
Tagovailoa was 12 for 16 in Alabama’s season opener against Louisville, with 227 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 26 yards and one touchdown on five carries. With all the preseason hype and a dominating opening performance, the sophomore is near the top of everyone’s list of Heisman Trophy contenders.
If Matich is right about this being one of the most entertaining seasons in recent Alabama history, it is going to be a long fall for the rest of the SEC.
“When that ball leaves Tua’s hand it looks like it’s rocket propelled with an internal guidance system…I think this will be the most fun season from an entertainment standpoint that we’ve seen from Alabama in memory” – @TMatich pic.twitter.com/Gt82P3jVLP
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 6, 2018
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lucas is a digital reporter for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, and a high school play-by-play broadcaster. Lucas has been covering SEC football for Saturday Down South since 2018.
