How a Benched QB Reminded Us Why Sports are so Great

What happened last night will go down as one of the greatest moments in college football history. Football fans waited a week with excitement for the SEC powerhouse battle between Alabama and Georgia. The winner would be crowned champions of the college football world. Georgia defeated Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl in an overtime shootout thriller to make it to New Orleans. Bama beat Clemson in a one-sided Sugar Bowl. Now they meet for the first time in the season to battle it out for all the glory. We all expected a good game, but we were given a historic game.

The first half was all Georgia. Their stifling defense shut down the Tide’s running game, forcing quarterback Jalen Hurts to throw the football—something he has struggled doing, especially against tough defenses. Alabama missed their only chance to score when kicker Andy Pappanastos shanked a forty yarder. Georgia would go into the locker room at halftime with all the momentum and a 13-0 lead. Something needed to happen for Bama on offense. Hurts had thrown for just 21 yards and was unable to drive his offense down the field. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban knew he needed to make adjustments, but the adjustment he made shocked everyone. To start the second half, a new quarterback would take the field for Alabama. A freshman who has only made appearance in games where the Tide were up big or playing a weak opponent. Tua Tagovailoa, a nineteen-year-old from Hawaii, is asked to win the greatest college football dynasty another ring.

Unbelievably, Tagovailoa leads his team back and ties the game up. A missed field goal by Bama sends the game into overtime, where Tua will throw a forty yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith to win the championship. This game will go down in the history books as possibly the greatest of all time. In one night Tagovailoa has become a legend. We could go on about the freshman QB. Where did he come from? How did he handle the nerves of this stage and win a game against one of the best defenses in the nation? But I’m sure you can find myriads of articles praising the instant star. There was someone else for Alabama who did something just as amazing and even more moving: Jalen Hurts.

Yes, the guy who got benched because he couldn’t score a touchdown. The guy who put his team in a big hole going into the half. He’s the one I want to talk about. Jalen Hurts has only lost two games in his entire college career. Last season he led the Tide to a championship game against Clemson where they would lose in a heart-breaker. This season he has made it back to the biggest stage, losing just one game all year. This is his time. This is his chance to avenge last season’s loss and win one for his school. But sports rarely go how we expect them to. Hurts has a devastating first half and is benched for a freshman. Although this has to feel like an arrow to the heart, Jalen shows no signs of bitterness. In fact throughout the entire second half when his offense is on the field, Hurts is standing as close to the action as he can get cheering on his backup. He even smiles as his team climbs back into the game.

Jalen did what so many kids need to see. He demonstrated that the game he plays is not about his performance or his legacy. In an incredible showing of humility, Jalen Hurts put his team’s success above his own desire. We all know that he wanted to be the guy who led his team back to win, but he humbly supported his freshman backup as Alabama fought back and eventually won the game. That’s something we need more of. We watch NFL and NBA players leave their teams for bigger salaries or a promise for more playing time. Professional sports have turned all of sports into a game all about “me”, but a college kid from Alabama reminded us all last night what makes sports so great. It was incredible to see Tua Tagovailoa come into the game in the second half, down by thirteen, and win a national championship. But it was even more incredible to see Jalen Hurts cheer on his freshman backup after being benched in the biggest game of his life. That's incredible humility; that’s what we need more of, and that's what makes sports so great.

*Image Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2753181-benched-jalen-hurts-praises-tua-tagovailoa-after-alabamas-win-vs-georgia