First and 10: The race for QB1 settled, the question becomes: How does Nick Saban juggle the rest of Jalen Hurts’ career

1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …

It’s no longer Tua vs. Jalen. The Alabama quarterback controversy has gone from 30,000 feet to micromanagement in a span of one game.

Tua Tagovailoa is the Alabama starting quarterback. He clearly has separated from Jalen Hurts.

The big question now for Tide coach Nick Saban: What four games will Hurts play this season?

“Everyone knows that Tua is going to start and we’re going to use Jalen’s skill set in the future,” Saban said Monday at his weekly press conference.

When and how are the only remaining variables.

Hurts can’t play all 12 if he wants to save a year of eligibility.

Hurts said prior to fall camp that he was staying at Alabama because he promised his parents he would graduate from Alabama, something he is scheduled to do in December. Meanwhile, a new NCAA rule allows players to participate in four games and still retain a redshirt season.

Hurts hasn’t used his redshirt season, and can participate in four games this year and still have two years of eligibility remaining if he transfers as a graduate student. I realize Saban doesn’t deal in hypotheticals (more on that later), but you better believe he has both feet in this one.

Hurts wanted to win the starting job, but he clearly hasn’t. He played in four series against Louisville and the offense had little juice.

So now he realizes – and so does Saban – that he can play in three more games and save that season of eligibility. As long as Tagovailoa stays healthy and continues to progress, Saban has to – and likely will – do right by Hurts and only play him in three more games.

In other words, don’t expect Hurts to play this week against Arkansas State. Or the following week against Ole Miss – or until Alabama needs him to win a game. That might be early November at LSU, or late November against Auburn.

Again, this all depends on Tagovailoa progressing and not running into a rough spot where Alabama needs Hurts in relief. If all goes as planned, I would expect Saban to save Hurts until November when the schedule includes a road game against LSU and home games against Mississippi State and Auburn.

If Hurts has played in four games after the Iron Bowl, the plan changes again for the postseason. Hurts would then knowingly have to burn his redshirt in case he is needed in a potential SEC Championship Game and/or the College Football Playoff.

It’s a long season, and every plan is eventually scrapped for another. But one thing is clear: Alabama has gone from a quarterback controversy to managing the playing time of a former starter who led the Tide to back-to-back CFP National Championship Games.

A shot in the dark: Saban has a good handle on that controversy, too.

2. The next “controversy”

It’s enough already. The latest social media outrage that someone was wronged so everyone has to scream that someone was wronged – when they really weren’t – has to end.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m going to defend the Death Star.

Look, no matter what you think of Saban – a genius, a megalomaniac, or a combination – you’re dying on the wrong hill if you’re ripping him for a sound bite after a season opener.

A sound bite that, frankly, didn’t have to happen.

Nick Saban responded critically to a question about his QBs after Alabama's win. pic.twitter.com/sZCvIox2Dq

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2018

I don’t care who was standing next to Saban after the Tide destroyed Louisville — and Tagovailoa’s performance clearly moved him to No.1 on the depth chart — he or she was getting a mouthful from Vader, I mean Saban. He was ready for that question, and ready to get sideways because he’s trying to keep Hurts happy.

We want coaches and players to have personalities, to be expressive and emotional and allow us into their inner sanctum. Yet when they do, social media police start banging drums about the mean man and his disrespect for someone just trying to do their job.
Guess what, everyone? Saban is just trying to do his job, too.

Young writers ask me all the time about the key to writing and reporting, and the first thing I say about reporting: Know how to ask a question. It’s all in the phrasing.
Interview subjects might not want to answer a question, but if it’s phrased properly, they’ll answer it without even knowing. Especially at the end of an emotional game.

I’m not blaming ESPN’s Maria Taylor; she does a fantastic job and hopefully we’ll one day hear her working play by play. But you don’t walk up to a powder keg and light the fuse.

The question isn’t “Everyone had questions about who was going to be your starting quarterback …” because that’s a big problem with Saban. He doesn’t give a damn what “everyone” thinks.

If Saban were asked, “Your starting quarterback did some nice things out there. Is he progressing as you expected?” That leaves Saban with zero wiggle room.

He chose Tagovailoa as the starter. Tagovailoa played well, and the only response from Saban isn’t to the declarative statement, but to the question.

Could he still get heated in a post-game sound bite? Of course, but there’s a much better chance of getting him to talk specifically about his starter (Tagovailoa) than starting another social media outrage.

3. Jalen and the Tide, the epilogue

You know it’s going happen. There’s no other way around this thing.

Jalen Hurts leaves Alabama after this season (with one or two years of eligibility remaining) and transfers to – wait for it – Auburn.

He throws on jersey No. 2 (hello, Cam), and slides right in as the perfect fit for Auburn coach Gus Malzahn’s offense. Malzahn’s scheme is power run-based, and who better to run it than a quarterback who can do significant damage in the run game and is polished enough in the passing game to keep defenses honest?

Imagine the anticipation – and the sheer juxtaposition for Alabama fans – when the beautiful hate that is the Iron Bowl arrives. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it.

4. Bentley’s time to shine

The biggest game of the season — wait, in years — at South Carolina has suddenly turned into a referendum on coach Will Muschamp after three seasons in Columbia.

But don’t kid yourself, Saturday’s game against No. 3 Georgia is just as much a barometer on Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley.

In 21 games as a starter, Bentley hasn’t had a signature performance in a big game.

He’s 1-3 vs. ranked teams, throwing for 561 yards, 4 TDs and 5 INTs.

You’re not beating ranked teams by throwing for an average of 140 yards a game, with more interceptions than touchdowns.

“It’s on me to play better in those big games,” Bentley said in July. “A quarterback is the guy who lifts his teammates and helps everyone reach their potential. I have to do that.”

If there’s one weakness on the Georgia defense, it’s the secondary. It’s rebuilt from last year’s unit that finished top 10 in the nation, but struggled in big games (Auburn regular season, Oklahoma, Alabama).

Bentley didn’t play that poorly last year at Athens, completing 60 percent of his passes for 227 yards. He played that game without star wideout Deebo Samuel, and without consistency in a wide receiving corps that grew stronger in the month of November and after 15 bowl practices.

The Gamecocks are among the SEC’s upper division in skill players, and have quickly rebuilt the interior lines. Winning this weekend wouldn’t necessarily be an upset.

Especially if Bentley gets a signature performance in a big game.

5. The Weekly Five

Five picks against the spread:

• MISSISSIPPI STATE (-7.5) at Kansas State
• Georgia at SOUTH CAROLINA (+9.5)
• Wyoming at MISSOURI (-16.5)
• Kentucky at FLORIDA(-14.5)
• CLEMSON (-12.5) at Texas A&M

Last week: 3-2, .600
Season: 3-2, .600

6. Step 1 in Gainesville

Let’s not ignore the obvious: We might not know what Florida has at quarterback until at least Week 4.

Because looking at Feleipe Franks’ numbers against FCS punching bag Chuck Southern (5 TD, 0 INT, completed 67 percent of his passes), it might be reasonable to think new Florida coach Dan Mullen already is working his magic.

The reality: It’s the first of many steps to not only rebuild Franks’ confidence, but a program’s identity.

Or as a Florida staffer texted me, “It’s good to feel good about yourself. Not just (Franks). All of us.”

It’s easy to embrace Franks. The big arm, the goofy, likable personality, and according to the staff at Florida, the leadership he showed in the offseason. But we’re a long way from Franks becoming a quarterback Mullen can trust in the fourth quarter of an SEC road game.

The Gators get two more punching bag games (Kentucky and Colorado State) on the home schedule before traveling to Knoxville to play a gutted Tennessee program. In other words, we might not get a true read on Franks until a Week 5 trip to Mississippi State.

Florida has more talent than the first four teams on the schedule, and if there’s one significant difference from last season, Mullen won’t muck up that talent and lose games he shouldn’t. That begins this week against Kentucky, which has lost 31 consecutive to the Gators – but probably should’ve won 2 of the past 3 games in the series (28-27 loss in 2017, 14-9 loss in 2015).

Franks will have another big game this weekend, and play well again in two weeks against a terrible Colorado State defense. He might even have more touchdown passes after the third week of the season than any Florida quarterback has had since Tim Tebow’s final season in Gainesville (2009).

That magic number over the past eight seasons is 12.

7. Not as bad as it looks

In the spirit of the wondrous world of Overreaction Sunday:

Don’t bail on the Auburn offensive line just yet. As painful as it was to watch Auburn execute its power run game (45 carries, 147 yards), and how tough it was for the Tigers to protect quarterback Jarrett Stidham, understand this: That was a helluva defense on the other side of the ball.

Washington returned nine starters from a defense that finished in the top 10 last season, and the Huskies are more active (and deeper) this fall. Auburn will see one defense this season with more talent (Alabama), and another (Georgia) that could eventually be as good.

The more important takeaway (other than the win): 5-10, 190-pound Kam Martin proved he could be a between the tackles runner. For how long is the next big question. The more Auburn trusts freshman RB JaTarvious Whitlow (his pass protection was shaky), the longer the undersized Martin can withstand the punishment he’ll endure.

8. Ask and you shall receive

Matt: You saw Jordan Ta’amu and Shea Patterson. You still think Patterson would’ve started for Ole Miss had he stayed? I think not.

Jason
Memphis

Jason: I’m sure you’re pumped about the win over Texas Tech, but the reality is the Texas Tech defense couldn’t stop you, me and nine other guys from the Y. Meanwhile, Patterson was playing against one of the best five defenses in the nation, and behind and offensive line that couldn’t run block or pass protect. Ta’amu has come a long way from when he first enrolled at Ole Miss.

But he’s not the thrower that Patterson is, and he’s not going to win big games with his arm. At least not yet. My guess is Ta’amu plays well despite difficult circumstances this season, and Patterson and Michigan play much better the rest of the way.

9. Numbers game

11: The South Dakota defense had three sacks and eight tackles for loss (11 total) in a 27-24 loss to Kansas State, Mississippi State’s Week 2 opponent. Mississippi State leads the nation in tackles for loss, and had four sacks and 17 tackles for loss in a season opening rout of Stephen F. Austin.

10. Quote to note

This from new Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt after an ugly loss to West Virginia (if this doesn’t make you want to run through a wall, what will?):

“If we’d have won this game, we’d have been 1-0. OK, what does that mean? I means we’re 1-0. We lost it. We’re 0-1. I’m not really happy about that.”

Matt Hayes

Matt Hayes is a national college football writer for Saturday Down South. You can hear him daily from 12-3 p.m. on 1010XL in Jacksonville. Follow on Twitter @MattHayesCFB