Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) gestures after throwing a touchdown pass during the first half against Missouri in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Tua Tagovailoa left the Tide’s win against Missouri in the third quarter with a right knee injury. Tagovailoa wore a brace on his right knee all game after Nick Saban said earlier in the week that he had been dealing with a sprained knee that was not an “issue“. As Tagovailoa took off on a scramble and slid to a stop his right toes briefly caught in the turf. He sat on the ground as trainers looked at his knee before he jogged off the field and into Alabama’s medical tent. He was replaced by Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa emerged from the medical tent during Alabama’s second possession after the injury and stood on the sideline. Tagovailoa was wearing a neoprene sleeve on his knee in the third quarter after wearing a heavier-duty brace in the first half. With the outcome not really in doubt for much of the second half, Tagovailoa watched the rest of the game from the sideline while Hurts played quarterback. The Crimson Tide got along just fine without him, rolling to a 39-10 win. Before the injury, Tagovailoa was 12-of-22 passing for 265 yards and three touchdowns. He still has not thrown an interception in 2018. When Saban said Tagovailoa was dealing with the injury in practice, he noted that he had not missed a snap. After the game, Saban said Tagovailoa was “OK” and that he could’ve returned if need be. Nick Saban: “Tua could have went back in the game. … sort of tweaked his knee a little bit. We don’t think there are any issues with it.” — Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 14, 2018 – – – – – – – Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: • 49ers apologize for Kaepernick photo snub • A-Rod pays the ultimate price after losing bet • Brewers pitcher’s stunning home run off Kershaw • NLCS Game 1 shows what baseball is in 2018<doc-sep>Tua Tagovailoa reinjures his right knee while sliding for a first down and is taken out of the game. (1:06) TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa aggravated a knee sprain and was forced to leave the field in the third quarter during Saturday's 39-10 win over Missouri. Tagovailoa wore a protective brace on his right knee against Missouri, throwing for 265 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions before aggravating the injury while sliding on a run. Trainers tended to Tagovailoa on the field, and he was able to jog off under his own power. He immediately went into a sideline tent to receive medical attention. He missed Alabama's next offensive series and was replaced by Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa spent nearly 10 minutes in the tent, with his parents coming down from the stands to visit him. "Tua is OK. He got the same injury as he had before," coach Nick Saban told ESPN after the game. "We just didn't put him back in the game." Saban added in his postgame news conference that Tagovailoa could have gone back into the game and wanted to get back in, but Saban decided against it. play 0:44 Saban happy with team's performance, says Tua is 'OK' Nick Saban is impressed with the defensive outcome and adds that Tua Tagovailoa is "OK" despite not returning to the game. Tagovailoa, a Heisman Trophy front-runner, injured the knee a week earlier during a win over Arkansas. Saban labeled the injury a sprain on Thursday and noted that Tagovailoa hadn't missed any reps in practice. Hurts, who started 28 straight games with a record of 26-2 prior to becoming a backup this season, came on for the injured Tagovailoa. The junior and former SEC Offensive Player of the Year has appeared in every game this season, completing 30 of 42 passes for 453 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Tagovailoa has started every game this season. The sophomore from Hawaii entered the weekend having thrown for 1,495 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.<doc-sep>Alabama starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a leading Heisman candidate who's engineering one of the most powerful offenses in America for the No. 1 team, gave fans and coaches a scare Saturday night against Missouri when he went down with a knee injury. After breaking for a nine-yard run early in the second half of Alabama's home game, Tagovailoa slid to avoid contact, but he grabbed the back of his knee after the play. He walked off the field on his own, but went immediately into the Crimson Tide's sideline medical tent, spending 20 minutes there, raising anxiety among fans in the stadium and watching on TV about injury severity. Tagovailoa did not return to the game, which Alabama won 39-10. Alabama's quarterback has been dealing with a knee sprain on the same leg he grabbed after the third-quarter slide, which took him out of the game. Tagovailoa had slightly sprained his right knee last week against Arkansas but he did not miss any practice time before the Missouri game because of it. But there's apparently good news for Alabama fans and coaches: Tua Tagovailoa is going to be okay, according to the latest reports after the game Saturday night. Alabama head coach Nick Saban told reporters that it was his impression Tagovailoa will be okay, able to play moving forward, according to al.com. "We don't think there's any issues or problems with it," Saban said, referring to the quarterback's knee. Saban suggested that Tagovailoa could have re-entered the Missouri game last night and wanted to, but that coaches did not see the advantage of putting him back in. Alabama, at 6-0, has the third-best total offense ranking in America so far this season, averaging 567 yards per game. Tagovailoa has started all six games, though he has shared some time with former starter Jalen Hurts. From Hawaii, Tagovailoa has been a star at Alabama since he entered last season's national championship game against Georgia in the second half, with the Crimson Tide losing. Hurts had been the starter for two seasons, but Saban felt the offense needed a jolt and a better passing attack. Tagovailoa led Alabama to the comeback win, claiming the national championship. The job has belonged to him since and he has not disappointed, emerging as a leading Heisman contender and powering what some have suggested is one of the greatest offenses in college football history. In other Alabama injury updates, Crimson Tide wide receivers Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith suffered apparent leg injuries. Smith didn't return in the second half, while Ruggs appeared to have his right leg twisted by a Missouri defender on a tackle, but he returned to the game. Smith pulled a muscle, Saban said, and could be questionable against Tennessee, the AP reported. Alabama's next game is next Saturday at Tennessee, which upset Auburn on Saturday. The Alabama vs. Tennessee game is slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS.<doc-sep>
Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an apparent leg injury during the Crimson Tide’s win over Missouri on Saturday night. Here’s the latest on his injury status. Tagovailoa, the Heisman Trophy favorite, went down with an apparent knee injury early in the second half of the Crimson Tide’s blowout win over the Tigers. Alabama’s starting quarterback was sliding after a run when he appeared to tweak something in his knee. The sophomore quarterback was down on the field for a couple of minutes, getting looked at by trainers, before he was able to jog off of the field. Tagovailoa was looked at in the injury tent for several minutes. He was joined inside the tent by his parents, which had Alabama fans feeling even more nervous. However, everything appears to be OK. Tagovailoa eventually got out of the injury tent and put his helmet back on. He did not re-enter the game, but he looked fine standing on the sideline for the rest of the contest. ESPN.com had more details on what happened: Trainers tended to Tagovailoa on the field, and he was able to jog off under his own power. He immediately went into a sideline tent to receive medical attention. He missed Alabama’s next offensive series and was replaced by Jalen Hurts. Tagovailoa spent nearly 10 minutes in the tent, with his parents coming down from the stands to visit him. Alabama head coach Nick Saban updated his status following the contest. It’s good news. “Tua could have went back in the game. … sort of tweaked his knee a little bit. We don’t think there are any issues with it,” Saban told reporters. Nick Saban: “Tua could have went back in the game. … sort of tweaked his knee a little bit. We don’t think there are any issues with it.” — Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 14, 2018 Tua was replaced under center by Alabama junior quarterback Jalen Hurts, who played well in backup duty. He led the Crimson Tide on a touchdown drive and the contest against Missouri never really got close in the second half. It’s unclear if Tua will be full-go in practice right away this week, but it doesn’t appear that his knee sprain is anything to worry about moving forward.