Tua Tagovailoa on playing without knee brace: 'I felt a lot better'
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It turns out Alabama needed Tua Tagovailoa after all. Nick Saban faced a barrage of criticism this week after announcing that his starting quarterback would not be limited against FCS opponent The Citadel.
It’s a good thing the head coach didn’t listen. Saturday, Tagovailoa jumpstarted a listless Alabama offense in time to avoid an embarrassing outcome as the Crimson Tide used a second-half surge to blow out The Citadel 50-17.
After heading into the half tied at 10, Tagovailoa completed all 10 of his passes in the third quarter, throwing two touchdowns and running in another during that span. The Heisman contender finished the day 18 of 22 for 340 yards with no interceptions and added 37 yards and a score on the ground.
“For a guy who most people thought shouldn’t play in the game, I thought he responded pretty well by taking the challenge and doing what’s best for his team,” Saban said. “All of our fans, they come to the game to see him play. I think that’s fair that he goes out and competes like every other player on our team, and I thought he did a good job in the game."
Following the game, Tagovailoa said he was unaware of the reaction toward him playing leading into the game. The starting quarterback suffered a knee injury against Arkansas on Oct. 6 and missed time and had worn a brace on his right knee until this week. Playing without the brace Saturday, Tagovailoa said he was able to move better on the field. That was evident during the game as two of his four rushing attempts resulted in gains of 10 or more yards.
“I felt a lot better,” Tagovailoa said. “I think the brace kind of restricted movement for me, so it kind of tightened up a lot of things with my calves and my hamstrings. A lot of stretching went into this week, and I couldn’t thank (head athletic trainer) Jeff (Allen) enough for helping me out.”
