WATCH: Jalen Hurts praises Tua Tagovailoa’s performance, remains positive despite being benched

The Crimson Tide pulled off a dramatic second half comeback in Monday’s National Championship Game, and it was the insertion of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa after halftime that provided the spark Alabama was looking for.

Alabama was shutout by Georgia’s defense in the first half, and starting QB Jalen Hurts was clearly struggling against the Bulldogs. He had 47 yards rushing in the game, but Hurts was just 3 for 8 passing for 21 yards in the first half.

Hurts was a big part of the reason that the Tide made it to the national championship, but it was clear Alabama needed something different to move the ball against Georgia. As a result, Tagovailoa was inserted into the game and went on to throw for 166 yards and 3 TDs, including the game-winning score in OT.

It’s  never easy being benched, especially on a stage as big as Monday night, but Hurts stayed positive through it all. In a post-game interview, Hurts said he knew Tagovailoa could step in and play well and did his best to encourage the freshman during every break in the action.

When asked about his message to the young QB, Hurts said he simply told him to play his game:

“Ball, play your game,” said Hurts. “He’s destined for stuff like this, built for stuff like this, and I’m so happy for him.”

Reporter Ben Hutchison shared video of Hurts’ comments on Twitter:

Show this video to young athletes.#JalenHurts is all #Class #RollTide pic.twitter.com/zCXjko9ebd

— Ben Hutchison (@WISNBennyHutch) January 9, 2018

Everybody wants to be the star, but it is hard to be an encouragement from the sideline. Hats off to Hurts for staying positive and showing everyone how to lead by example, even when things aren’t going your way.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.