Matt Rhule on Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa: 'Everything you see his brother do, he can do'
Matt Rhule clearly went to the Nick Saban school of matchup preparation.
The Nebraska coach had some high praise to offer Taulia Tagovailoa — the younger brother of former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — ahead of the Cornhuskers' game against Maryland on Saturday.
In addition to comparing Taulia to NFL players such as Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray, he made a bold claim about how his talent level compares to Tua Tagovailoa. Said Rhule: “Everything that you’ve seen his brother do, he can do.”
Tua Tagovailoa, of course, is now an accomplished NFL quarterback helming the most prolific passing offense in the NFL so far this year. He is also the fourth-leading passer in Alabama football history, trailing only AJ McCarron, Bryce Young and John Parker Wilson (all while playing only 32 games in Tuscaloosa, including eight as a freshman in which he started zero contests).
REQUIRED READING: Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa stats comparison: How Alabama QBs fared in college, NFL
Taulia Tagovailoa has put together a nice year so far for the Terrapins, although it has unquestionably taken a turn for the worse. Maryland is 0-4 since starting the season 5-0 in 2023, and the Cornhuskers seem to be on the opposite trajectory. Rhule has been extremely complimentary of most of his opponents this season, although not all of them are as easy to draw inspiration from as the Maryland QB.
Taulia Tagovailoa was in Tuscaloosa for his freshman year in 2019, when he was recruited to Alabama and backed his brother up. He attempted 12 passes for Alabama, and transferred after that first year to rejoin Mike Locksley in Maryland.
The younger Tagovailoa has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 2,486 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions for Maryland in 2023. His older brother was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2018 when he completed 69 percent of his passes for an incredible 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns and six interceptions. He ended up being beaten out by Murray before getting drafted fifth overall by the Dolphins in 2020.
Rhule is seeking a bowl appearance in his first season with Nebraska, whereas Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland are looking to avoid missing a bowl for the first time in three years. So this game does have clear-cut stakes with both teams at 5-4.
Even if Taulia Tagovailoa's output might not necessarily match up to his older brother's — especially given the latter's burgeoning NFL career — Rhule is looking to keep his players on their toes. If Alabama can't relate to a coach doing that, what program can?
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Matt Rhule has high praise for Taulia Tagovailoa, compares him to Tua
