No one saw this coming.
No one imagined this is how Alabama’s season would end.
No one ever thought that Alabama’s star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would suffer a season ending injury in the Mississippi State game.
But there was one person who was more than ready to take over when it happened: Mac Jones.
From the moment Jones walked off the field after Alabama’s game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, you could see the look of determination on his face. A look of wanting to prove himself, and wanting to prove this season wasn’t over yet.
Let’s rewind for a moment. Mac Jones has been the epitome of a team player since he’s been in Tuscaloosa. Jones has been backup to Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, and never uttered one complaint. Even when he was the third string man, he never once suggested he’d transfer. He was all in. He was invested in this Alabama team, even though he’d never started a game while at Alabama. That was, until October 26, 2019, when Jones started against the Arkansas Razorbacks replacing Tagovailoa, who had just had ankle surgery, and would not return until the LSU game. Against LSU, Jones went 18 of 22, for 235 yards, and 3 TDs.
The next game against LSU two weeks later, he once again, took over the role of back-up, with no complaints again. He knew his role, and he embraced it with humility and encouragement, two qualities that makes Jones the quarterback he is.
So when Tagovailoa went down the following week against Mississippi State and it was clear that Jones would be the starter for the rest of the season, we saw that look as he walked off the field after the game, and we knew Jones meant business.
There’s no doubt Jones heard the media continually analyze and underestimate him. I’m sure he heard the thousands of times the media said, “Jones is no Tagovailoa,” but shook it off. Of course he’s not like Tua. They’re two different quarterbacks with two completely different styles of play. Jones is the classic pro-style quarterback we’ve seen play for Nick Saban, such as John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron, just to name a few. Jones knew he wasn’t like Tua, and that was fine with him.
Against Western Carolina, he put up impressive numbers, and didn’t even play the entire game. Jones went 10/12 for 275 yards and 3 TDS.
Coming into the Iron Bowl, Jones has completed 28/34 passes for 510 yards, 6 TDs, and 0 interceptions. Saban shared with the media how they’ve been working on Jones’ confidence, and how that was important for Jones. The week leading up to the Iron Bowl, all the focus was on Mac Jones, and whether he was capable of leading his team to a National Championship, and if the Crimson Tide was worthy to be back into the top 4. A lot was riding on this game and everyone knew it, especially Mac Jones.
The first quarter of the Iron Bowl didn’t start out strong for the Tide as they had to settle for only a 43 yard FG. But, Jones never gave up, and he led his team down the field in the second quarter to set up a 14 yard rushing TD by Najee Harris. The score was 10-7 Alabama. But then… it happened. Jones threw an INT that Smoke Monday returned 29 yards for a Tiger touchdown.
BUT.
It was that moment that I knew, Mac Jones was more than a winner, he was a leader who has inspired and motivated his team. His team hadn’t given up on their quarterback. They believed in him.
Because during the kickoff following Jones’ INT, Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle returned a 98 yard kickoff that put Alabama back on the board and tied the game back at 17.
Coming into the second half, Alabama led 31-27.
But, from there, it was a losing battle for the Crimson Tide.
During Alabama’s second drive in the second quarter, Jones threw his second interception of the night that Zakoby McClain returned for 100 yards for an Auburn touchdown.
For many quarterbacks, the pressure of the game plus two pick-sixes may have been too much. In that moment, we saw Jones pick himself, and his team up, and keep fighting. Every single time a false start occurred, Jones was seen clapping and affirming his offensive line. When he threw an INT or incompletion, he took the blame and affirmed his receivers.
But, it wasn’t enough.
Costly penalties, a missed field goal, busted coverage from the defense, and two interceptions were too much for the Crimson Tide to overcome. There were too many other factors involved in the Tide’s loss to Auburn.
When you look at Jones’ Iron Bowl stats of going 26/39 for 335 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 2 INT, many might comment on the interceptions first. Sure, they were costly, but I think the highlight of the Iron Bowl for Mac Jones was his composure, leadership, and ability to also put up 4 TDs for Alabama.
For me, I was proven right.
I was right that Mac Jones was more than capable of winning the Iron Bowl, it just didn’t happen. He showed resilience in situations that he could’ve easily mentally quit in. He showed his teammates that he was willing to take big hits, take off running, and do whatever it took to help them win, and he earned a lot of respect tonight, especially from his teammates.
Alabama still has a bowl game to play, and I have no doubt that Mac Jones will show up with the same mindset as he did against Auburn. Jones will have one more game this season to show that Alabama can overcome a loss with humility, resilience, and a determination to end the season the way they started.
So when the clock hit 0:00, and Alabama’s chances of making the CFB Playoff were officially over, I felt, regardless of the loss, Mac Jones left it all on the field, and that’s all he was asked to do. Despite the loss, Jones showed he was more than a winner, he was a leader, who win or lose, will play his absolute heart out for his team.
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