Why was Jalen Hurts benched for Tua Tagovailoa? How QB change helped Alabama win 2018 CFP

Alabama football fans will have a crisis of choice when it comes to the Week 7 "Sunday Night Football" game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

That's because two of the most beloved quarterbacks in Crimson Tide football history — Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts and Miami's Tua Tagovailoa — will face off for the first time of their NFL careers. They lead two of the league's top teams, both of which enter Sunday's highly anticipated matchup with a 5-1 record.

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Moreover, this is the first time since the 2018 college football season that Hurts and Tagovailoa will even share the same field. Following the 2019 CFP championship game loss to Clemson, Hurts — on the advice of Nick Saban — transferred to Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to their own College Football Playoff berth.

Part of the reason Hurts transferred, of course, is because he was unable to retain his position as starting QB for the Crimson Tide. And that positional battle began in earnest at halftime of the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game vs. Georgia, when Saban made the decision to bench the 2016 Offensive Player of the Year for the freshman Tagovailoa.

Here's a look back at the game, its leadup and why Saban ultimately decided to bench Jalen for Tagovailoa:

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Why did Alabama bench Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa?

No. 4 Alabama entered the CFP title game vs. Georgia with a remarkably dominant defense and impressive dual-threat quarterback in Hurts. However, as was demonstrated in the Crimson Tide's Sugar Bowl semifinal win vs. Clemson, the passing game was an area of potential weakness on the offense, as Hurts showed a propensity to run instead of progress through his targets.

It was an area former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart successfully exploited in the first half of the 2018 championship game: Hurts struggled in the passing game, completing only 3 of 8 passes for 21 yards. One of his incompletions included missing a wide open Calvin Ridley in the back of the end zone that would have given the Crimson Tide an early 7-0 lead on the Tide's first drive of the game. The possession ultimately ended in an Andy Pappanastos missed 40-yard field goal.

Still, that drive — which traversed 42 yards in 11 plays — was arguably the Tide's best of the first half. Alabama had four punts on ensuing drives, including three three-and-outs (not including a kneel-down to head into halftime). The offense sputtered to produce just four first downs and 89 yards of total offense as the Bulldogs rushed out to a 13-0 halftime lead.

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Hurts' struggles on offense prompted Saban to bench Hurts for Tagovailoa. The move paid dividends following a punt out of halftime: Tagovailoa led two touchdown and two field goal drives to send the game to overtime, where he ultimately connected with DeVonta Smith (playing for the Eagles, coincidentally) on a 41-yard walk-off touchdown on second-and-26:

With that, Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime, cementing Tagovailoa forever as a legend in Tuscaloosa. It also opened the door for a QB controversy, of sorts, the next season.

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Nick Saban comments on Jalen Hurts' benching

The following day, Saban explained his decision to bench Hurts for Tagovailoa, saying the offense needed a spark, which the freshman could provide with his passing acuity.

"I think Tua certainly gave us a spark in the second half offensively, and I think that was something that helped us on defense as well as to put some points on the board to give us a chance to win the game," Saban said.

He also reiterated that Alabama would not have been in the CFP title game without Hurts:

"I mean, one of the first things that I said to Jalen was we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," Saban said. "You put us in a position by the plays that you made and the way you played all year long, but it just seems to me like, if we're going to have the best chance to win this game, that we may need to do it in a different way. I think he understood that."

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Jalen Hurts stats vs. Georgia

• Passing: 3 of 8 for 21 yards

• Rushing: Six rushes for 47 yards (7.8 yards per attempt)

Hurts was the quarterback for six drives in the first half, in which the Crimson Tide mustered 89 yards of total offense and four first downs.

Here is how each of Hurts' drives ended:

• Missed 40-yard field goal (11 plays, 42 yards)

• Three-and-out (three plays, 6 yards)

• Three-and-out (three plays, 4 yards)

• Punt (four plays, 31 yards)

• Three-and-out (three plays, 7 yards)

• Kneeldown (one play, minus-1 yard)

Tua Tagovailoa stats vs. Georgia

• Passing: 14 of 24 passing for 166 yards, three touchdowns and one interception

• Rushing: 12 rushes for 27 yards (2.25 ypa)

Tagovailoa entered at halftime, leading four scoring drives in regulation and the walk-off touchdown in overtime. The offense had 282 yards of total offense with the freshman quarterback.

Here is how Tagovailoa's drives fared:

• Punt (three plays, 7 yards)

• Tua Tagovailoa 6-yard touchdown to Henry Ruggs (seven plays, 56 yards)

• Deandre Baker interception of Tagovailoa

• Pappanastos 43-yard field goal (six plays, 15 yards)

• Punt (four plays, 24 yards)

• Pappanastos 30-yard field goal (eight plays, 71 yards)

• Tagovailoa 7-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley (eight plays, 66 yards)

• Pappanastos missed 36-yard field goal (10 plays, 48 yards)

• Tagovailoa 41-yard touchdown to Smith (two plays, 25 yards)

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Revisiting Jalen Hurts' benching for Tua Tagovailoa in 2018 championship