The Alabama vs. Georgia matchup in the 2018 CFB National Championship really had it all. A heated rivalry? Check. Awe-inspiring plays? Check. A bewitching and improbable comeback? Check. But aside from the usual ingredients that make up a memorable game, the 2018 Alabama vs. Georgia matchup also altered the course for multiple college football — and ultimately professional — careers.
Alabama vs. Georgia in the 2018 National Championship is truly a game to remember
“The Crimson Tide will not be denied!!!” Chris Fowler’s rasping voice broke through the cacophony of noise inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Thousands of miles away in the living room of a house in the middle of England, that same voice permeated the early hours of a crisp January morning, capturing the intensity that only college football can bring us.
Whenever there is a greatness in sport, there is an equally great quote from a commentator conveying the magnitude and magnificence of the moment.
“The Crimson Tide will not be denied!!!” Alabama has been so dominant under Nick Saban that the sentence alone seems almost unnecessary. Yet, for the longest part of Alabama vs. Georgia in the 2018 CFB National Championship, it looked like they would be denied.
Twice they faced what seemed like an unassailable 13-point deficit to Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. Heading into the fourth quarter, they were 10 points behind their SEC foes.
The Crimson Tide had been denied in many ways during the Alabama vs. Georgia 2018 National Championship Game. Running back Damien Harris, who’d been almost unstoppable all season lumbered to just 2.8 yards per carry. Additionally, game-changing WR Calvin Ridley was held to just 32 yards on four receptions during the contest. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts, Alabama’s exciting dual-threat quarterback, had been held to just 47 yards rushing and a paltry 21 yards passing.
As a result of a general offensive ineffectiveness, the Crimson Tide had been denied a trip to the end zone in the first half. Even worse than that, they’d been denied points of any shape or form while two Rodrigo Blankenship field goals and a Mecole Hardman touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead.
“The Crimson Tide will not be denied” – the making of Tua Tagovailoa
What happened next not only changed the shape of the Alabama vs. Georgia 2018 National Championship but the college football future for two of the leading protagonists. Arguably, Saban’s decision to bench Hurts and replace him with freshman Tua Tagovailoa set in motion a chain reaction that impacted college football, two young athletes, and eventually two NFL franchises in the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Tua sparked an Alabama offensive revival in the second half. Midway through the third quarter, a seven-play, 56-yard drive resulted in the Crimson Tide’s first touchdown score of the game. Although the speedy Hardman reinstated the 13-point gap with an 80-yard touchdown, Tagovailoa instigated two drives that ended with field goals from Andy Pappanastos.
While Tua was inspiring the offense, the defense raised their game, holding Georgia scoreless through the fourth quarter. When the freshman QB capped off an eight-play, 66-yard drive with a seven-yard strike to Ridley, the game was tied and headed for overtime. In addition to the two touchdown passes, Tua had helped keep the chains moving with several scrambles, including one on third-and-7 early in the third quarter where he evaded multiple tackles while trying to escape the pocket first to the right and then around the outside to the left.
Having held Georgia to a field goal to start overtime, the young quarterback took a sack that led to Fowler screaming out “a disastrous first-down play.” The sack resulted in a second-and-26 play from the Bulldogs 41-yard line. As Tua dropped back, the ESPN commentator lowered his voice. “Tagovailoa trying to make up for it, fires to the end zone…”
Alabama vs. Georgia in the 2018 National Championship changes the course of history
On the end of that 40-yard pass was DeVonta Smith. “Touchdown. Alabama wins!!!”
For the first time in the Alabama vs. Georgia 2018 National Championship Game, the Crimson Tide had the lead. “The Crimson Tide will not be denied.” They had the victory. Saban and Alabama had their sixth national title together, and the title drought continued in Athens.
Tua was named the Offensive Player of the Game having led his team to an unlikely win. His performance helped the transition to being the full-time starter for the 2018 season. While Hurts would have his own redemption story in the Alabama vs. Georgia 2018 SEC Championship Game — less than 12 months later — he’d ultimately transfer out of the program to Oklahoma.
Both quarterbacks entered the 2020 NFL Draft, with Tua being the fifth overall selection by the Dolphins. Some 48 picks later, Hurts was picked up by Philadelphia. If it hadn’t been for the Alabama vs. Georgia 2018 National Championship game, it could have been a very different story for both quarterbacks, for both college programs, and both NFL franchises.