Tagovailoa fires strike to Ridley to tie game in 4th quarter (1:27)

Tua Tagovailoa finds Calvin Ridley in the end zone on 4th down to tie the game at 20 in the 4th quarter. (1:27)</s>ATLANTA - Analyzing Alabama's dramatic 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Georgia owned Alabama in a way no opponent had during the Nick Saban era, but only for 30 minutes. While Georgia players gathered on their sideline as halftime came to a close, Alabama remained in its locker room, waiting to return to the field until just seconds remained before kickoff christened the third quarter. What did Saban say? Did he scream, yell, cajole, pray? Only one thing is certain: it worked.

Down 13-0 at the half, Alabama scored 26 points in the game’s final two quarters and one frame of overtime to shock Georgia and claim its fifth national title under Saban’s direction. On the sport’s biggest stage, against an opponent built in its own image, Alabama reminded everyone that football is more than a 30-minute game — and in doing so cemented the program’s place as the greatest dynasty to ever exist in college football.

It took a series of comebacks. Alabama faced a pair of 13-point deficits, the latest at 20-7. A field goal cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-10. Another made it 20-13. Georgia’s next possession would last three plays. Alabama would take the Bulldogs’ punt and drive 66 yards to make it 20-20 with 3:49 left.

A missed Alabama field goal as time expired sent the game to overtime, where the Tide would follow Georgia’s 51-yard field goal on the opening possession with one of the most memorable moments in the sport’s history: True freshman Tua Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard score one play after taking a 16-yard sack. Alabama refused to lose.

So Georgia owned the first half; Alabama owned the rest.

It demanded one of the gutsiest coaching decisions you’ll ever see in a big-game setting. With the offense listless and lagging under the direction of starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, Saban pulled the plug at halftime and turned to Tagovailoa, who breathed life into a moribund Alabama sideline. Tagovailoa’s performance as a rookie — one who played mostly garbage time during the regular season — will earn a spot in Alabama history.

The Tide simply would not be denied. Don’t forget that the highest level of college football can be split into two groups: Alabama, and then everyone else.

Twenty minutes separated the Bulldogs from the program’s first national championship since 1980. Jake Fromm’s touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman made it 20-7 with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter, pushing Georgia into a significant lead and putting Alabama in a bind. Then came the Tide. The Bulldogs can only think about how close they came to a title only to throw it away — few teams in college football history can relate.

Georgia might point to a pair of botched calls by the Big Ten Conference officials. The first was a dubious offside penalty docked against the Bulldogs on a punt block, one that if ignored would have given Georgia possession on the doorstep of Alabama’s end zone ahead 13-0. The second came on the ensuing possession, and was a clear miss: Officials simply botched a clear facemask penalty by an Alabama defender. The Tide would cut the lead to 13-7 on the following drive to change the complexion of the game.

But those are excuses. The truth? Georgia had Alabama on the ropes. The Bulldogs did to Alabama what no one had done during the Saban era — no one. Georgia could’ve put its foot down and ended Alabama’s chances. But the Bulldogs didn’t get it done. For all the talk of a title being part of Georgia’s unquestioned destiny, it was the Alabama dynasty that carried the day.

3. Saban rolls the dice and settles his QB quandary

Even before Monday night, there was the thought that Alabama would open its quarterback spot to an offseason competition between Hurts and Tagovailoa. Hurts won games, sure, but there were warning signs; he was ineffective as a passer, limiting the effectiveness of Alabama’s offense and allowing opponents to key on the Tide’s powerful running game. Tagovailoa changed that.

He will be the starter in 2018, barring injury, and Alabama will be better for it. Now, just because he starred in a backup role in the title game isn’t itself a guarantee: Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert was terrific in reserve in the Longhorns’ title-game loss to Alabama in early 2010, but he never came close to recapturing that performance. Maybe Tagovailoa will be different.

But in the span of one half, Alabama went from worried to confident about its situation at quarterback. The Tide found its missing piece. Doing so helped the program claim another national championship. It may also ensure that Alabama remains atop college football in 2018.

Saban is known to take gambles, and also to have those gambles pay off. Two years ago, an onside kick against Clemson turned the game in the Tide’s favor. On Monday night, it was a change at quarterback that sparked Alabama’s latest title. There’s a reason he’s the greatest to ever do it.</s>Nick Saban’s greatest rival, his most persistent foe, is human nature. So far, Saban is winning that matchup.

Alabama’s coach has his Crimson Tide back in the College Football Playoff national championship game for the third straight season. Alabama has won four national titles since Saban took over in 2007, and played for another. Only once since 2008 has Alabama lost more than a single regular-season game.

There has never been anything quite like this Crimson Tide dynasty in college football.

Alabama has been the sport’s equivalent to the NFL’s Patriots during Saban’s time, fitting since he once worked for New England coach Bill Belichick, winner of a record five Super Bowls.

Add the BCS championship Saban won while the head coach at LSU, and his five poll-era national championships leave him one short of a record held by the man who coached Alabama’s first dynasty, Paul “Bear” Bryant. Saban can match the Bear on Monday night when No. 4 Alabama faces No. 3 Georgia in an all-Southeastern Conference national championship game that President Trump is expected to attend.

Relentlessly driven and motivated by competition for competition’s sake, Saban has engineered a complacency-proof program in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Whether it is lunchtime basketball with the assistant coaches or what has become Alabama’s annual appearance in the national title game, the 66-year-old Saban only knows one approach.

“Well, I think that I’m always looking for the next challenge,” he said Sunday. “I don’t know if it’s the way I was raised or whatever, that you’re kind of only as good as your last play, as your last game. I think everyone has heard me talk a lot about the fact that success is not a continuum, it’s momentary, and it’s human nature to get satisfied and get a little complacent when you have success.

“But in a competitive business like we’re in where there’s always a next challenge, there’s always a next game, there’s always a better team to play, if you have that mindset, you’re not going to be able to play with any consistency. And if you can’t play with consistency in performance, you’re not going to really have a lot of success long-term.”

Saban’s latest challenge comes from a former protege.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart spent nine seasons with Saban at Alabama, the last eight as defensive coordinator, before taking over as head coach at his alma mater in 2016. The two shared the stage Sunday with the tall, gold championship trophy for a final news conference before Monday night’s game. Smart was part of those basketball games for years, usually on Saban’s team because, as Saban said, they both hated to lose.

Smart, 42, has taken Saban’s “process” to Athens, Georgia, a title hungry town that has not celebrated a Bulldogs’ championship since Herschel Walker was a freshman in 1980. Asked what the most important lesson he learned from Saban, Smart had a well-prepared response.

“Well, this is not the first time I’ve answered this question this week, so I’ll be happy to answer it again,” Smart said. “But probably the single greatest thing is just the level of commitment to the organization, holding everybody in the organization to a standard that he kind of embraced himself. He never asked anybody in the organization to work any harder than he did. He held every person on the staff — and I’m not talking about just the coaching staff, I’m talking about the entire organization, to be at their best.”

With Smart only in year two at Georgia, it is too soon to say this game represents a potential paradigm shift in the SEC. But a few weeks removed from the Bulldogs signing the top recruiting class in the country, there are signs that this is just the beginning of a high-stakes rivalry between mentor and mentee. In 11 games, Saban has never lost to a head coach who once worked for him.

The only downside — if there is one — to living under the Saban Standard is anything less than the best can seem like the worst. A second straight championship game loss after last season’s thriller against Clemson would mean “just” one national title for Saban and Alabama in the last five seasons.

“That’s a career for most coaches, but for him it’s an abject failure,” longtime Alabama and national radio show host Paul Finebaum said.</s>The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in overtime, 26-23, on Monday night in the college football national championship game.

Freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led the charge for Alabama after starter Jalen Hurts struggled throughout the first half. Alabama fell behind 20-7 in the second half before scoring 16 unanswered points to tie the game.

With 3 seconds left in regulation, Andy Pappanastos missed a 36-yard field goal that would have won it.

Rodrigo Blankenship took the lead back for Georgia in the first overtime by drilling a 51-yard field goal.

But Alabama answered with a touchdown on the second play of its possession to take the crown.

Georgia, meanwhile, fell short of a storybook ending. The Bulldogs reached the championship game after losing five games last season.

The game pitted two Southeastern Conference brethren with very different national title track records as of late.

While Saban's Crimson Tide were playing in their third straight CFP title game, Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs were seeking the school's first national title since the Herschel Walker-led 1980 squad.

No. 3 Georgia was the higher ranked of the two teams, the deck was stacked against them, if only because of Saban's record against his previous assistants.

Saban went into the game 11-0 against his former disciples -- a group that includes Smart, who coached under Saban both at LSU and for nine seasons at Alabama before leaving for Georgia at the end of the 2015 season.

The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide had to quiet doubters of their own after a 26-14 loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl left them with a 11-1 regular-season record and shut out of the SEC Championship Game. Instead, the semifinals saw them dominate defending national champ Clemson with a 24-6 Sugar Bowl victory that served as a rematch of last year's title game.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs edged out the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners in their own semifinal game, rallying to win 54-48 in double-overtime at the Rose Bowl to improve to 13-1 on the season.

Monday night's game marked the first time in the four years of the College Football Playoff that the national championship game matched two teams from the same conference. Alabama also was involved that last time that happened, when the Crimson Tide beat LSU 21-0 in the 2012 BCS title game.</s>Updated at 12:15 a.m. ET Tuesday

The Georgia Bulldogs got into the college football title game with an unexpected comeback for an overtime win against the Oklahoma Sooners. On Monday night, they had their championship hopes yanked away the same way.

In the fourth quarter, the Alabama Crimson Tide made up lost ground, bringing the score with Georgia's Bulldogs to 20-20 with less than four minutes left in the College Football Playoff National Championship game in Atlanta.

Down to what might have been their last down, freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa flung the ball to the endzone on fourth down and found wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Georgia had been leading Alabama 20-7 in the the third quarter.

Alabama got the ball back, but kicker Andy Pappanastos pulled a 36-yard field goal wide, and the game went to overtime.

Georgia went first and managed a field goal of their own, and looked to be in good shape after a 16-yard sack of Tagovailoa on Alabama's first play. But Tagovailoa found wide receiver DeVonta Smith streaking down the left sideline for a touchdown, and Alabama's fifth national championship in nine seasons.

The Bulldogs had scored their second touchdown of the game on a 80-yard reception by receiver Mecole Hardman. Rodrigo Blankenship kicked the point-after.

After being held scoreless in the first half, Alabama got on the board with a 6-yard touchdown pass by freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Henry Riggs III.

Tagovailoa started the second half for Alabama after a lackluster performance by starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Late in the second quarter, Georgia scored a touchdown on a one-yard run by Mecole Hardman. That capped off a 69-yard drive.

Blankenship earlier had kicked two field goals of 41 and 27 yards.

Georgia's freshman quarterback Jake Fromm has paced his team with a mix of medium-length passes which have set up the Bulldogs a potent running attack.

Georgia's offense dominated the game early with twice as many offensive plays as Alabama which hadn't managed to sustain a drive throughout the contest.

Alabama is led by arguably the best college football coach in the game, Nick Saban, while Georgia is led by Kirby Smart, who spent nine years as a Saban assistant coach and was looking to best the master by bringing the Peach State its first title since 1980. No former assistant coach has ever beaten Saban.

President Trump, who once, as a football mogul, tried to break the National Football League's hold on pro football and failed, was there for the first half.

The Atlanta chapter of the NAACP encouraged people to stage a "snowflake" protest by waving small white towels at any mention of Trump. But apparently that didn't happen.

Chapter president Richard Rose told USA Today that his group would also protest on social media, but their planned action would be limited.

"Rose said the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP will not officially participate in any physical gathering before or during the game due to weather and security concerns," reported the national daily.

It was likely that Trump would be on safe ground at a game between competitors of two deep-red states.

But as the New Yorker pointed out:



And in case you're wondering how popular Nick Saban is in Alabama, consider this: more than 400 voters cast their ballot during that recent special election for the 66-year-old coach as a write-in candidate. Not that Saban ever did anything to encourage that support. As Al.com reports, Saban said bluntly, "I don't get involved in politics."</s>Walk-off: Alabama beats Georgia in OT for national title Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa holds up the championship trophy after overtime of the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Georgia Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in Atlanta. Alabama won 26-23. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

ATLANTA (AP) -- To add another championship to the greatest dynasty college football has ever seen, Alabama turned to its quarterback of the future, and Tua Tagovailoa proved that his time is now.

The freshman quarterback, who had played mostly mop-up duty this season, came off the bench to spark a comeback and threw a 41-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith that gave No. 4 Alabama a 26-23 overtime victory against No. 3 Georgia on Monday night for the College Football Playoff national championship.

Tagovailoa entered the game at halftime, replacing a struggling Jalen Hurts, and threw three touchdown passes to give the Crimson Tide its fifth national championship since 2009 under coach Nick Saban.

''He just stepped in and did his thing,'' Hurts said. ''He's built for stuff like this. I'm so happy for him.'' The Tide might have a quarterback controversy ahead, but first Alabama will celebrate another title.

For the third straight season, Alabama played a classic CFP final. The Tide split two with Clemson, losing last season on a touchdown with a second left.

What was Saban thinking as the winning pass soared this time?

''I could not believe it,'' he said. ''There's lots of highs and lows. Last year we lost on the last play of the game and this year we won on the last play of the game. These kids really responded the right way. We said last year, 'Don't waste the feeling.' They sure didn't, the way they played tonight.''

Smith streaked into the end zone and moments later confetti rained and even Saban seemed almost giddy after watching maybe the most improbable victory of his unmatched career. A few hours later, Alabama was voted No. 1 in the final AP college football poll for the 11th time, three more than any other program.

After Alabama kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a 36-yard field goal that would have won it for the Tide (13-1) in the final seconds of regulation , Georgia (13-2) took the lead with a 51-yard field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship in overtime.

Tagovailoa took a terrible sack on Alabama's first play, losing 16 yards. On the next he found Smith, another freshman, and hit him in stride for the national championship.

Tagovailoa was brilliant at times, though he had a few freshman moments. He threw an interception when he tried to pass on a running play and all his receivers were blocking. He also darted away from pass rushers and made some impeccable throws, showing poise of a veteran. Facing fourth-and-goal from the 7, down seven, the left-hander moved to his left and zipped a pass through traffic that hit Calvin Ridley in the numbers for the tying score with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter.

He finished 14 for 24 for 166 yards. The winning play was, basically, four receivers going deep.

''After the sack, we just got up and took it to the next play,'' Tagovailoa said. ''I looked back out, and he was wide open. Smitty was wide open.'' Freshmen were everywhere for the Alabama offense in the second half: Najee Harris at running back; Henry Ruggs III at receiver; Alex Leatherwood at left tackle after All-American Jonah Williams was hurt. It's a testament to the relentless machine Saban has built.

But this game will be remembered most for his decision to change quarterbacks trailing 13-0.

''I just thought we had to throw the ball, and I felt he could do it better, and he did,'' Saban said Tagovailoa. ''He did a good job, made some plays in the passing game. Just a great win. I'm so happy for Alabama fans. Great for our players. Unbelievable.''

Saban now has six major poll national championships, including one at LSU, matching the record set by the man who led Alabama's last dynasty, coach Paul Bear Bryant.

This was nothing like the others.

With President Trump in attendance, the all-Southeastern Conference matchup was all Georgia in the first half before Saban pulled Hurts and the five-star recruit from Hawaii entered. The president watched the second half from Air Force One.

''I don't know how Coach Saban found me all the way in Hawaii from Alabama,'' Tagovailoa said. ''Thank God he found me and we're here right now.''

The Tide trailed 20-7 in the third quarter after Georgia's freshman quarterback, Jake Fromm, hit Mecole Hardman for an 80-yard touchdown pass that had the Georgia fans feeling good about ending a national title drought that dates back to 1980.

Fromm threw for 232 yards and for a while it looked as if he was going to be the freshman star of the game, the first to true freshman to lead his team to a national title season since Jamelle Holieway for Oklahoma in 1985.

''I mean, if you want to find out about Jake Fromm, go ask those guys on the other side of the ball, and they'll tell you because that's a really good defense he just went against,'' Georgia coach Smart said.

A little less than a year after the Atlanta Falcons blew a 25-point lead and lost in overtime to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, there was more pain for many of the local fans. Two years ago, Georgia brought in Smart, Saban's top lieutenant, to bring to his alma mater a dose of Alabama's Process.

Smart, who spent 11 seasons with Saban - eight as defensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa - quickly built 'Bama East. It was Georgia that won the SEC this season. Alabama had to slip into the playoff without even winning its division.

With the title game being played 70 miles from Georgia's campus in Athens, Dawgs fans packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but it turned out to be sweet home for Alabama. Now Saban is 12-0 against his former assistants.

But not without angst.

Alabama drove into the red zone in the final minute and Saban started playing for a winning field goal to end the game. A nervous quiet gripped the crowd of 77,430 as 'Bama burned the clock. With the ball spotted in the middle of the field, Pappanastos lined up for a kick to win the national championship. The snap and hold looked fine, but the kicked missed badly to the left.

For the second straight week, Georgia was going to overtime. The Bulldogs beat Oklahoma in a wild Rose Bowl in double overtime to get here, and after Jonathan Ledbetter and Davin Bellamy sacked Tagovailoa for a big loss on the first play, Alabama was in trouble - second-and-26.

Not for long. Tagovailoa looked off the safety and threw the biggest touchdown pass in the history of Alabama football.</s>ATLANTA (AP) — The Latest on the College Football Playoff national football championship game on Monday night (all times local):

Alabama freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been named offensive player of the College Football Playoff championship game after leading the Crimson Tide to a come-from-behind 26-23 overtime win over Georgia.

Tagovailoa replaced an ineffective Jalen Hurts to start the second half and led the Tide back from deficits of 13-0 at half and 20-7 in the middle of the third quarter. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, including the winning 41-yarder in overtime. The former prep star from Hawaii also ran 12 times for 27 yards.

Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne was defensive player of the game. Payne had six tackles and was part of an Alabama defensive front that shut down Georgia’s running game in the second half. Payne also intercepted a tipped pass, helping to set up a field goal.

Alabama’s 26-23 thriller over Georgia was the first national championship game to go to overtime since 2003.

That’s the year Ohio State outlasted Miami 31-24 in double overtime at the Fiesta Bowl in a game that settled the BCS Championship.

There have been some close games since, including the 41-38 Rose Bowl classic in 2006 when Texas beat Southern California. Two years ago, Alabama beat Clemson 45-40 and then the Tigers returned the favor last season with a 35-31 win decided on a last-second touchdown pass.

This year’s OT game was settled on a 41-yard TD pass from Tua Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith.

Alabama has beaten Georgia 26-23 in overtime to win its fifth national championship since 2009 under Nick Saban.

Freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith after getting sacked on Alabama’s opening play of the extra session. Georgia had the ball first in overtime, and Rodrigo Blankenship kicked a 51-yard field goal.

Alabama’s Andy Pappanastos missed what would have been the winning 36-yard field goal as time ran out in regulation.

Tagovailoa took over for an ineffective Jalen Hurts to start the second half and led the Crimson Tide to two touchdowns and two field goals as they erased deficits of 13-0 at half and 20-7 in the middle of the third quarter.

It’s the 11th national title for the Crimson Tide. Georgia was seeking its second title after winning it all in 1980.

Alabama and Georgia are going to overtime in the national championship game, tied at 20-20.

The Crimson Tide has stormed back from a 13-0 halftime deficit and was in position to win it with 3 seconds to go. But Andy Pappanastos missed a field goal try from 36 yards.

Freshman Tua Tagovailoa has led the Alabama comeback after replacing Jalen Hurts to start the second half. He tied it 20-all on a 7-yard pass to Calvin Ridley, and then Alabama’s defense forced a three-and-out to set up Pappanastos’ try.

Pappanastos missed far to the left. He missed earlier from 40 yards on his first field-goal try of the game. He has connected from 43 and 30 yards.

The national championship game is tied at 20-all late in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Tua Tagovailoa threw a 7-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley on a fourth-and-4 play with 3:49 left. The play came after Georgia’s Roquan Smith and Trenton Thompson stuffed Damien Harris for a 1-yard loss on third down.

Tagovailoa replaced Jalen Hurts to start the second half and has led Alabama to two touchdowns and two field goals to bring the Crimson Tide back from a 13-0 halftime deficit.

Alabama has closed to 20-13 in the fourth quarter of the national championship game against Georgia.

Andy Pappanastos kicked his second field goal of the game, a 30-yarder with 9:24 left. The score came one play after Georgia’s Dominick Sanders nearly picked off Tua Tagovailoa’s overthrown pass in the end zone.

Georgia is trying to win its first national title since 1980.

Georgia went into the fourth quarter of the national championship game with a 20-10 lead over Alabama.

Georgia freshman Jake Fromm has thrown for 225 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, and Sony Michel has run for 84 yards on 12 carries. Georgia’s Mecole Hardman has scored twice, the first time on a 1-yard run when he took a direct snap and the second on an 80-yard pass.

Alabama freshman Tua Tagovailoa, who replaced quarterback Jalen Hurts to start the second half, is 7 for 13 for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Alabama has pulled within 20-10 of Georgia with 5:15 left in the third quarter of the national championship game.

Andy Pappanastos, who missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter, connected from 43 yards six plays after the Crimson Tide got their second interception in two games by a defensive lineman.

Raekwon Davis picked off a Jake Fromm pass that bounced off the helmet of fellow defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

Alabama got an interception from Da’Ron Payne in the playoff semifinal win over Clemson.

After having three touchdowns all season, Georgia’s Mecole Hardman has two touchdowns in the national championship game against Alabama, including an 80-yarder that included some fancy footwork along the sideline.

After Alabama staged an impressive drive for its first touchdown, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 13-7 in the third quarter, Georgia answered quickly with Jake Fromm’s bomb to Hardman.

A review confirmed Hardman stayed in bounds after making contact with Alabama defensive back Tony Brown. Hardman’s first score came on a 1-yard touchdown run late in the first half on a direct snap.

Jake Fromm has thrown an 80-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman to give Georgia a 20-7 lead over Alabama with 6:52 left in the third quarter of the national championship game.

The touchdown stood after a video review to see if Hardman stepped out of bounds at about the Alabama 20-yard line.

The Bulldogs got the ball back when Deandre Baker intercepted freshman Tua Tagovailoa, who had led Alabama to its first touchdown after starting the second half in place of Jalen Hurts. But the Crimson Tide got an interception of its own when a Fromm pass was tipped at the line.

Alabama has pulled within 13-7 at Georgia in the third quarter of the national championship game.

Freshman Tua Tagovailoa replaced Jalen Hurts to start the second half and hit Henry Ruggs III with a 6-yard touchdown pass to finish a seven-play, 56-yard drive.

Tagovailoa completed 4 of 5 passes, but he used his legs to make the biggest play. Under pressure after he dropped back to pass, he split two Georgia defenders and made a third miss as he scrambled for 9 yards on a third-and-7.

The Tide went three-and-out on their first series with Tagovailoa under center.

Alabama is playing the second half without offensive tackle Jonah Williams. The third-team All-American was replaced by Alex Leatherwood.

President Donald Trump attended the first half of the game and was on the field during the national anthem. He had left by the time things got rolling in the third quarter.

Trailing 13-0, Alabama has started freshman Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback in the second half of the national championship game against Georgia.

Tagovailoa replaced a struggling Jalen Hurts coming out of the locker room. Hurts was just 3-of-8 passing for 21 yards in the first half while running for 47 yards.

Tagovailoa, a five-star recruit from Hawaii, played in eight games this season. He completed 35 of 53 passes for 470 yards with eight touchdowns against one interception, mostly in mop-up duty. Hurts was the Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year as a freshman last season.

Alabama hadn’t been held scoreless in the first half since last season. It was also the first time since the 2012 national title game that a team failed to score in the first half. Alabama shut out Notre Dame going into the half en route to a 42-14 win.

Alabama trails Georgia 13-0 at halftime of the national title game.

The Crimson Tide had not been held scoreless in the first half since a 10-0 victory over LSU last season. All 10 of the Tide’s points came in the fourth quarter.

Alabama had outscored opponents 270-56 before the half this season coming into the game against its SEC rival.

Georgia’s Jake Fromm is 11 of 23 for 126 yards, and Sony Michel has run eight times for 61 yards.

Georgia holds a 13-0 lead over Alabama at halftime of the national championship game in Atlanta.

Jake Fromm led the Bulldogs on a 69-yard touchdown drive in the last 2 minutes. Wide receiver Mecole Hardman took a direct snap and ran 1 yard into the end zone with 7 seconds left.

Rodrigo Blankenship kicked field goals of 41 and 27 yards, and the Bulldogs’ defense held the Crimson Tide in check.

Alabama totaled just 95 yards on five possessions, and Jalen Hurts took a knee to end the half. The Tide punted four straight times after Andy Pappanastos missed a 40-yard field goal on the Tide’s first possession.

Georgia got the ball back with 1:19 left in the half. Fromm threw passes of 10 and 16 yards and ran for 14 on Georgia’s way to the touchdown.

Fromm is 11 of 23 for 126 yards, and Sony Michel has run eight times for 61 yards.

Hurts is 3 for 8 for 21 yards and he’s run six times for 47.

Georgia wide receiver Riley Ridley is flourishing in his opportunity to emerge from the shadow cast by his older brother, Alabama star Calvin Ridley.

Ridley has four catches for 62 yards in the first half of Monday night’s national championship game. He already has moved to within range of his career-high totals of five catches for 67 yards against Vanderbilt in 2016.

While Calvin Ridley, a junior, is second in Alabama history with 220 career receptions, including a team-high 59 this season, Riley Ridley has had a quiet season for Georgia with only eight catches before the championship game.

Georgia led Alabama 6-0 late in the second quarter.

Rodrigo Blankenship has kicked his second field goal, this one from 27 yards, to give Georgia a 6-0 lead over Alabama with about 6 minutes left until halftime of the national championship game.

Georgia’s defense limited Alabama to 57 yards and forced two straight three-and-outs before quarterback Jalen Hurts broke loose for 31 yards. Hurts has completed only 2 of his first 6 passes for 17 yards and the Crimson Tide has punted three times.

Bulldogs freshman Jake Fromm is 8 of 16 for 84 yards.

Georgia receiver Riley Ridley has outplayed his older brother, Alabama All-SEC receiver Calvin Ridley, in the early going. Ridley has two catches for 36 yards, including a 23-yarder to convert a third-and-8 and keep the Bulldogs’ second scoring drive alive. Calvin Ridley has one catch for 9 yards.

Georgia has taken a 3-0 lead in the College Football Playoff championship game, with Rodrigo Blankenship kicking a 41-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter.

The Bulldogs got into position after moving from their 21 to the Alabama 24 in 14 plays.

The big play on the drive was Sony Michel’s 26-yard run to the Alabama 26 on a third-and-20 after Anthony Averett crashed through from the left side to sack Jake Fromm.

Michel’s run was reviewed to see if he stepped out of bounds before the 26, but the Big Ten officiating crew’s spot was upheld.

Alabama had a chance to take the lead in the first quarter, but Andy Pappanastos missed a 40-yard field goal.

Georgia turned over the ball on its opening possession of the national championship game but came away unscathed after Alabama missed a field goal.

Tony Brown wrestled a long pass away from Georgia’s Javon Wims to set up the Crimson Tide at their 36.

But Alabama failed to come away with points. Andy Pappanastos’ 35-yard field goal was nullified by a false start, and he pulled his second attempt from 40 yards wide left.

The Crimson Tide forced Georgia to punt on its second possession with 9:04 left in the first quarter.

The College Football Playoff national championship game between Alabama (12-1) and Georgia (13-1) is under way at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Frank Beamer, Mack Brown and Matt Stinchcomb — named to the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame on Monday — were on the field for the coin toss along with honorary captains O.J. Howard of Alabama and Herschel Walker of Georgia.

Alabama called tails and won the toss and deferred until the second half. They picked off Georgia on the third play from scrimmage.

This is the 68th all-time meeting between the Southeastern Conference rivals and first since 2015, when Alabama won 38-10 in the regular season.

Alabama is in the title game for the third year in a row and seeking its fifth national title under Saban since 2009. Georgia, led by second-year coach and former Saban assistant Kirby Smart, is looking for its first championship since 1980.

The Crimson Tide reached the title game with a 24-6 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson. The Bulldogs advanced with a 54-48 double-overtime win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

President Donald Trump is in attendance and was on the field during the national anthem.

President Donald Trump was on the field for the national anthem before the College Football Playoff national title game.

Trump walked onto the field accompanied by the ROTC units from Georgia and Alabama. He was greeted by mostly cheers from the crowd on hand to watch the game between Alabama and Georgia.

Trump waved to the crowd before the Zac Brown Band sang the anthem. Hand placed over his heart, Trump appeared to sing along at times.

No players were on the field yet. That’s unlike the NFL, where some players this season protested racial injustice by kneeling during the anthem — often drawing Trump’s ire.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a bit of water dripping on to the sideline, seemingly coming from high above the field.

Around the 20-yard line on Alabama’s side of the field, but off the playing field, a few drops could be spotted falling on to the green artificial turf.

A stadium security worker wearing a blue shirt was standing where the water was landing and had wets spots on his shirt.

There have been issues with the stadium’s signature retractable roof since construction began on the facility. The roof has only been opened once for football since the stadium opened in August.

The crowd is trickling into Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the kickoff for Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game about an hour away.

Alabama native and former NFL star Terrell Owens is among the crowd that navigated the consistent chilly drizzle outside the stadium and security lines to get into the building.

Owens, from Alexander City, Alabama, wore a wool knit Crimson Tide cap and talked with the SEC Network before the contest, telling host Paul Finebaum that his dream growing up wasn’t the NFL, it was to play for Alabama.

If he had, the Crimson Tide might have had another national crown or two in their trophy case.

Owens instead played at Chattanooga and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1996. He had 1,078 catches in 15 seasons with five NFL teams.

Alabama radio play-by-play announcer Eli Gold says he has been told that President Trump will be on the Alabama Radio Network during the College Football Playoff national championship game between the Crimson Tide and Georgia.

Gold says network officials reached out to the White House through the Alabama governor’s office last week to request an interview with the president and heard back in the last day or so that Trump agreed to come.

Gold says nothing is definitive but if Trump comes on it would like be after the first quarter.

Georgia won’t be at full strength at tight end in its national championship game against Alabama.

Sophomore Charlie Woerner, who set a career high with three catches in the Bulldogs’ Rose Bowl playoff win over Oklahoma last week, was on crutches when the team entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Monday night’s game.

Coach Kirby Smart said Sunday Woerner’s status was doubtful after the sophomore suffered a leg injury in last week’s win, so the crutches were not a big surprise.

Woerner, listed with Isaac Nauta behind starting tight end Jeb Blazevich, had nine catches for 100 yards this season.

Woerner is the nephew of former Georgia defensive back and return specialist Scott Woerner, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Scott Woerner was a standout on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team.

No. 4 Alabama faces No. 3 Georgia in an all-Southeastern Conference College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban tries to tie former Alabama coach Bear Bryant’s record six major poll national championships. Saban has led the Tide to four national championships since 2009, and the last three national championship games.

Georgia, coached by former Saban assistant Kirby Smart, is looking for its first national championship since 1980.

The Bulldogs feature the most prolific running back combination in college football in senior Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. They combined for six touchdowns in the Bulldogs semifinal victory against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

Alabama has to No. 1 rushing defense in the country and smothered Clemson in the Sugar Bowl semifinal to get here.

This story has been corrected to show winning TD throw was 41 yards.</s>Tua Tagovailoa #13 and Rashaan Evans #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 for the national title.

4:13 PMFaced with a 13-0 halftime deficit, Alabama coach Nick Saban made the decision to switch from sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts to true freshman signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night.

Tagovailoa had never been brought into a game with the Crimson Tide losing, but in the battle of freshman quarterbacks, Tagovailoa outshined the Bulldogs’ Jake Fromm in front of what might as well have been a home game for Georgia playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Tagovailoa orchestrated a comeback that saw Alabama score 26 points in the second half and overtime to win, 26-23. At least Georgia wasn’t the first team from the state to blow a cushy lead in its championship game (I’m talking about you, Atlanta Falcons).

In one half of work, the Hawaii native went 14 of 24 for 166 yards with three touchdowns, including the game-winning 41-yarder, and one interception to help give Alabama its fifth national championship under Saban. When someone comes on the scene like that, well, it’s time to get to know them.

Here are six facts about Tagovailoa and what his performance means in historical context.

1. Tagovailoa is the first Samoan quarterback to win college football’s national championship game

In 2015, a Samoan was 56 times more likely to play in the NFL than an American non-Samoan. For the most part, Samoans have been given positions along the defensive and offensive lines, linebacker, safety and occasionally running back. Quarterback has been an elusive position for the group.

With Tagovailoa leading the Crimson Tide’s second-half comeback against SEC foe Georgia, he became the first Samoan quarterback to win the national championship. With three more years of eligibility and offensive MVP performance, the floodgates may open.

Tagovailoa is by no means the first quarterback to represent the Pacific Island community, though. Washington State’s Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson was in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy in 1978, was the highest drafted Samoan (Cincinnati Bengals, third overall, 1979), and at the time only the fifth Samoan-born player to make it to the NFL.

Tennessee Titans signal-caller Marcus Mariota took over the distinction of highest drafted Samoan in 2015 (second overall). Mariota had the best opportunity to become the first Samoan quarterback to win a national title, but his Oregon Ducks lost to Ohio State in the first CFP Championship Game. Mariota was the first Hawaiian-born player to win the Heisman.

Former Washington Huskies quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, who in 1999 became the first player to pass for 300 yards and run for 200 in a game, had the next best opportunity. Tuiasosopo led the fourth-ranked Huskies to a 34-24 victory over Drew Brees and Purdue in the 2001 Rose Bowl and was named the MVP of the game.

2. Winning is in his DNA

Tagovailoa is the nephew of Fano Tagovailoa, who in a 2002 ESPN.com article on Samoan football culture was regarded as “the best quarterback we’ve seen in Samoa,” according to a local coach. Fano was the backup quarterback for the undefeated Utah team that beat Pittsburgh in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.

And Tua’s brother, Taulia, the nation’s No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class, has already received an offer from Alabama. Their parents pumped the breaks on Taulia Tagovailoa committing in July 2016, but his brother’s success has probably dumped a whole bucket of gasoline on an already hot fire.

Per ESPN’s Stats & Information, DeVonta Smith, who hauled in the game-winning touchdown, was a Georgia commit for a stretch during high school, while Tagovailoa received an offer from Alabama after they lost the commitment of Fromm. Funny how those things work out.

4. your boy can sing and play ukulele

From the short clip Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key tweeted out, Tagovailoa has a pretty amazing singing voice.

5. HE picked alabama because of the school’s faith-centric environment

In a 2016 interview with SB Nation, Tagovailoa explained that Alabama’s biggest selling point for him was how intertwined religion was with the top-notch program.

“First and foremost, it was their belief in God. Their belief in God was one of the biggest things that kind of struck me. That kind of lines up with everything in my life,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s not really structured, ‘There’s God, and there’s anything else.’ It’s more, ‘God’s so in the middle, and everything revolves around him.’ That’s the kind of atmosphere I want to surround myself with.”

On a side note: An Alabama fan questioned Tagovailoa’s ability to adapt … because the fan was thought someone from Hawaii couldn’t speak English. 🤔 I’m going to let you read this one for yourself. Hawaii has been the 50th state in the United States for almost 60 years.

6. no situation was tua (pun intended) much for the true freshman

This was the first time Tagovailoa was inserted into a game in which Alabama wasn’t leading by double digits all season. Tagovailoa played in Crimson Tide blowouts. He finished the regular season completing 35 of 53 passes for 470 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. The last time he saw the field was a month and a half ago, when he went 7 of 11 for 85 yards and three scores in the Crimson Tide’s win over Mercer on Nov. 18.

Tagovailoa joined Ohio State’s Cardale Jones as the second quarterback in four years to lead their teams to a CFP national title victory without starting a game during the regular season.</s>It all comes down to tonight! Will it be Crimson Tide or Bulldogs?

Don’t miss a moment of tonight’s (Jan. 8) excitement during the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game as Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

The National Championship game is live @8p on ESPN or (live stream)</s>The Crimson Tide title drought didn’t last long, but it needed a dramatic comeback from a freshman backup quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa hit freshman wide receiver DeVonta Smith with a 41-yard touchdown pass, and Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 in overtime to win the College Football Playoff national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The win gives the Crimson Tide their fifth title since the 2009 season and first since the 2015 season.

“I don’t know how Coach (Nick) Saban found me all the way in Hawaii from Alabama,” Tagovailoa said. “Thank God he found me and we’re here right now.”

This is the fifth national title for Saban as head coach of the Crimson Tide and sixth overall. With the win against Georgia head coach — and former Alabama assistant — Kirby Smart, Saban improves to 12-0 against his former staffers in his tenure as Alabama’s head coach.

But it was a nail-biter for Crimson Tide fans.

In a first half that was dominated by defense, Georgia took a 13-0 lead. That led to Alabama benching quarterback Jalen Hurts in favor of Tagovailoa at the start of the third quarter.

“I thought Tua would give us a better chance and a spark, which he certainly did,” Saban said.

A 6-yard Tagovailoa touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Henry Ruggs III made it 13-7 with 8:52 left in the period, but Georgia responded on the following drive with an 80-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Jake Fromm to sophomore wide receiver Mecole Hardman to make it 20-7.

And later tempers flared, as Crimson Tide linebacker Mekhi Brown, who was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, was seen being restrained on the Alabama sideline.

But Alabama didn’t go away. With 3:49 remaining, Tagovailoa found Calvin Ridley in the end zone to make it 20-20.

Alabama had the chance to win in the final seconds of regulation, but the 36-yard kick from Andy Pappanastos was no good.

He was saved in the extra period by Tagovailoa, a dual-threat quarterback from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who played at the same school as Tennessee Titans quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. Both Tagovailoa and Mariota played at Saint Louis School in Honolulu.

“This is very big for us kids back home,” Tagovailoa said. “Making our state proud is the biggest thing.”

It was more heartbreak for fans in the state of Georgia, coming less than a year after another local team, the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI. The Bulldogs haven’t won a national championship in football since 1980.

“Give (Alabama) credit, but I think everybody can see that Georgia’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Smart said. “I’m very proud of this team and this university, and we’re not going anywhere.”

One guarantee heading into Monday night was that the champion was from the Southeastern Conference, which Alabama (SEC West) and Georgia (SEC East) are both members. This is the ninth time in the last 12 seasons that a team from the SEC has won the national championship.

With that, it seemed fitting that this season’s championship game was played in the heart of SEC country: The University of Georgia, which is located in Athens, is about 70 miles away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is a 200-mile drive.

No. 4 Alabama (13-1) was playing in its third straight national championship game. The Crimson Tide, who reached the playoff despite not making it to the SEC championship game, defeated No. 1 Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal, avenging the Crimson Tide’s loss to the Tigers in last year’s national championship game.

No. 3 Georgia (13-2), the SEC champion and in the playoff for the first time, defeated No. 2 Oklahoma 54-48 in double overtime in the Rose Bowl semifinal.

This is the first time two teams from the same conference reached the College Football Playoff, a four-team seeded postseason format that began for the 2014 season and replaced the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The SEC also had two teams featured in the 2011 season finale, when Alabama defeated Louisiana State in the BCS title game.

Counting the national championship, the SEC went 5-6 this bowl season.

College football dates back to the late 1800s and is older than the NFL. The sport, which is a pipeline to the professional level, is well known for its loyal and passionate fan base, including enthusiasts pulling for their alma mater or channeling their rooting interests for another university.

The College Football Playoff determines the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) national champion. The FBS is the highest level of football in the NCAA.
In the College Football Playoff National Championship, Alabama defeats Georgia 26–23 in overtime. It is the second national title for Alabama in three years, the sixth for coach Nick Saban, and the 17th officially claimed by Alabama.