Posted on 01/08/2018 10:47:06 PM PST by blam
Alabama came back to beat Georgia in a thriller to win the 2018 college football national championship, rising from a 13-0 halftime deficit to win in regulation. Tua Tagovailoa tossed a 41-yard pass in overtime to DeVonta Smith to give the Tide a 26-23 walkoff victory and their second championship in three years.
The game was a battle until the end, with Alabama kicker Andy Pappanastos missing a kick as regulation ended to give the Dawgs another shot. It followed a game of twists and turns that started with Georgia looking superior after a 13-0 start in the first half. Behind a new quarterback, Alabama stormed back to score 20 points in the second half, with Georgia’s only second-half score coming on an 80-yard bomb from Jake Fromm to Mecole Hardman.
Georgia got the ball first in overtime, and Rodrigo Blankenship knocked in a 51-yard field goal after Alabama sacked Jake Fromm. The Dawgs responded with their own sack of Tagovailoa for a 16-yard loss on first down. The Tide’s true freshman QB responded with a beautiful strike to end the season.
Sophomore QB Jalen Hurts was 3-for-8 for 21 yards passing through the air in the first half, so Saban decided to go with Tagovailoa behind center when Alabama came out after halftime. The freshman from Hawaii did not disappoint.
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"...Saban decided to go with Tagovailoa behind center ..."
Long overdue IMO.
Something peculiar about Tua. He's a right handed person but his father trained him from very young to play football left-handed.
I’m glad President Trump was there to see the National Championship trophy presented to the winner of the playoffs.
Alabama Refused To Lose.
ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!
Roll Tide Roll!!!
I still wistfully dream of a return to API/UPI polls. Made most bowl games worth watching and provided plenty of off-season pontification about who shoulda- coulda- woulda been if only...
Now I only watch one game, and really care the outcome, the only off-season chatter is about the system not the programs or the kids.
Oh well, I miss my old rotary phone also.
The running sidearm pass to Ridley that tied the game was pure athleticism. Look forward to watching him next year!
Tua is the Samoan Tebow.
IMHO, he was throwing to another receiver.. in desperation. Not Ridley.
It was luck. But luck counts.
Ahh, the good old days, when the National Champion was decided before the bowl games.
Saban had the “ace in the hole”, and pulled it out at just the right time, Georgia didn’t know what to do.
That’s why he didn’t replace Hurts earlier in the season, as long as Bama was in the running for the title, Hurts was going to be the QB.
Had Tua replaced Hurts mid-season, you can bet Georgia would have been much better prepared to face him. Saban understood this.
But at halftime, it was time, and it worked brilliantly.
It WAS a gutsy call, long overdue in my opinion as well
Roll Tide Roll
I’m going to go out on a limb and say had Tua replaced Hurts earlier in the season, Bama doesn’t win this game.
Georgia had little to go on to prepare for Tua, had he been the starter since the middle of the season, Georgia would have been much better prepared for him.
That’s why he’s Nick Saban, and you’re not.
In one half of football Nick 2, became Richt 2. Different coach, same result.
ROLL TIDE!!!
That game aged me twenty years.
Tua was incredible.
He left at halftime
How did that jerk #9 Bo Scarborough for Alabama fare? Thrown off the team yet?
Roll Tide.
Now Nick, go recruit a field goal kicker. The last 5 years have been really rough.
I do believe he'll have some troubles.
Besides, what NFL team will want another (known) politically motivated player on their team? He may have just pissed away his NFL millions for one moment of being 'cool'.
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