What it means: Mac Jones starting at QB for the Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide will be under a new quarterback this weekend against Arkansas as redshirt sophomore Mac Jones steps in for injured Tua Tagovailoa. Today, we make sense of it all and provide you with What it Means with Jones starting under center.

Alabama Crimson Tide: 10 recruiting thoughts

The 3-2-1: A look at Alabama heading into its game against Arkansas

1. Jones has the opportunity to prove he can lead this offense

There is no doubt that Mac Jones was caught off guard when Tua Tagovailoa went out of the game in the second quarter against Tennessee last Saturday with an ankle injury. Nick Saban admitted following the game that there was no time for a pep-talk with Jones who finished the game 6 of 11 passing for 72-yards with a passer rating of 109.5.

“I think that he didn’t do anything that really hurt us in the game,” Said Saban on Monday. “I think that he had two balls that were dropped, that were critical situations in the game. The one play that he scrambled on third down where he could have thrown the ball, I would assume that if you asked him he’d say, I wish I would have thrown the ball,’ because we would have made a first down and the guy was open.”

Tagovailoa is eventually going to leave Alabama and the question is already surfacing in Tuscaloosa: Who will be the next quarterback to lead the Crimson Tide? Jones is a redshirt sophomore who Saban has said time and time again is way ahead of the other quarterbacks on the roster. With Jones dubbed as the starter against the Razorbacks, Jones can silence any critics about his ability to lead the offense and also showcase his on the field skillset as a signal-caller.

2. Jones can showcase his talent

There are a lot of critics that continue to whisper behind the scenes that Jones does not have the playmaking ability to get the ball to the receivers in a game situation and there is a large crowd that feels he is just a game manager.

“I think with Mac it’s not a matter of arm talent or ability, it’s staying focused and being able to execute on a consistent basis and make good choices and decisions and not think about it too much and just take what the defense gives,” said Saban on Monday. “When he’s done that he’s been very, very effective and that’s what we’ve worked with him on throughout the season. And for the most part he’s done a pretty good job of that.”

We’ve seen Jones flourish at the quarterback position in the last two Alabama spring games. In 2018, Jones was 23 of 35 passing for 289-yards with two touchdowns. This past spring game in 2019, Jones again dazzled the crowd throwing 19 of 23 for 271-yards with two touchdowns. On the season, Jones is 20 of 32 passing for 237-yards with one touchdown and one interception.

3. Alabama’s offense can show they can win without Tua

The world of college football knows that the Crimson Tide’s Achilles Heal is the health of Tua Tagovailoa. With Tagovailoa out this Saturday and potentially out longer, the Crimson Tide can prove they can win without Tagovailoa at the helm.

VegasInsider.com has the Tide as a 33 point favorite and while that seems like a large spread without the nation’s top quarterback, the Tide has a ton of weapons at their disposal and the ground game looks to be peaking at the right time.

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