ATLANTA – For Alabama, it was sweet déjà vu.
For Georgia, it was, “Oh, no, not again.”
Less than 11 months after Tua Tagovailoa replaced an ineffective Jalen Hurts at quarterback and guided the Crimson Tide over the Bulldogs in the national championship game of the 2017 season, Hurts replaced an injured Tagovailoa and rallied Alabama to a 35-28 victory in Saturday’s scintillating Southeastern Conference title contest.
Hurts took the field before a packed house of 77,141 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with 11 minutes and 15 seconds remaining and completed seven of nine passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Four of his completions converted third-down opportunities, including his 10-yard touchdown throw to Jerry Jeudy with 5:19 left that knotted this classic at 28, and his 15-yard scoring run with 1:04 remaining gave the top-ranked Crimson Tide their first lead of the contest.
“I told him, ‘This is your time,’ and he took advantage of it,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I’ve probably never been more proud of a player than Jalen.”