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Dynasty in danger? Hardly. The future looks bright for Alabama’s offense after 6 true freshmen rise to the occasion
By Clint Lamb
Published:
Nick Saban’s gamble to solve a crisis by going younger Monday night didn’t begin or end with Tua Tagovailoa.
And make no mistake, Alabama’s legendary head coach had a crisis on his hands at halftime of the CFP final, down 13-0 to Georgia with an offense going nowhere.
The Tide’s longest drive of the first 30 minutes was an 11-play, 41-yard march that ended with a missed 40-yard field goal from kicker Andy Pappanastos. The next four possessions — three of them three-and-outs — ended in punts. At the break, the Tide had all of 94 total yards and were losing time of possession 19:23-10:37.
Saban pulled Jalen Hurts in favor of his lefty reliever to start the second half, and the rest is history. And maybe, also, an indication that the next couple years are in good hands on the offensive side of the ball. And that the Alabama dynasty under Saban might keep chugging along for a while.
Consider this: Three true freshman receivers — Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III — had already been receiving significant snaps in the first half. Enter Tagovailoa, replacing a struggling Hurts (3-for-8, 21 yards passing).
And it didn’t end there.
On Tagovailoa’s first series, sophomore left tackle Jonah Williams went down with a leg injury. That caused another true freshman — Alex Leatherwood — to be inserted into the lineup at what is often considered the toughest position on the line.
Because Tagovailoa is left-handed, Leatherwood at least didn’t have to protect his QB’s blindside. Still, he was thrust into a major role.
That’s five true freshmen seeing significant reps on offense with the national championship on the line. Did it end there? Nope.
Najee Harris, the true freshman who was the nation’s No. 1 running back prospect coming out of high school, decided he wanted in on the fun as well. He proceeded to average 10.7 yards (6 rushes for a team-high 64 yards).
The three receivers all recorded at least one catch — with Smith hauling in the game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa in overtime. Ruggs III led the true freshmen in receptions (3) while putting up 29 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Leatherwood, with his stout 6-6, 322-pound frame, was solid replacing Williams. That shouldn’t be that surprising considering he was the No. 1 offensive tackle coming out of high school.
The biggest performance in Monday night’s 26-23 victory, obviously, came from Tagovailoa.
The former No. 1 dual-threat quarterback prospect — I hope you’re seeing the trend here — was surgical. He completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named the game’s MVP. The game-winning pass couldn’t have been more pretty or more perfect.
The most impressive part of Tagovailoa’s performance may have been his poise in the pocket, the sack that preceded the walk-off home run ball notwithstanding.
Overall, it was an outstanding performance from all six true freshmen on offense for the Crimson Tide. The group of teenagers certainly provided a spark that was a key reason why Alabama walked away with its fifth national championship since 2009.
As much as Alabama fans should be celebrating Monday night’s win, they should be celebrating the future of this offense even more. The sky is the limit.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
