Since Mac Jones’ first start of the season against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Jones has been seen as just “Tua’s backup,” and hasn’t been given the credit he fully deserves all season.
First off, Jones deserves credit for how well he has performed this season, especially in the situations he has been put in. In his first career start against Arkansas for an injured Tagovailoa, he went 18-22 for 235 yards and 3 TDs. Two weeks later, he was back in the “back-up” role against LSU. The following week against Mississippi State, he went in to replace an injured Tua Tagovailoa again, but this time, he would be the official starter for the rest of the season as Tagovailoa suffered a season ending injury.
Against Western Carolina, Jones went 10-12 for 275 yards and 3 TDs, but he only played the first half. And then came the Iron Bowl. Although the Crimson Tide lost a heartbreaker, the team showed resilience, especially Mac Jones. Even after throwing 2 costly interceptions, Jones regained his composure and leadership as he finished the game with 335 yards passing, 4 TDs, and 2 INT.
Before the Citrus Bowl matchup, Jones had already racked up 939 yards passing and 10 TDS in just 3 games ( 2 full + 2 (half) games.) Incredible.
And yet, he was still criticized and analyzed.
People continued to downplay his talents and abilities because he was “a backup” and he wasn’t Tua. Of course he’s not Tua. Jones plays a completely different type of game than Tagovailoa, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But this entire time, he worked. Even when people doubted him, he trained, and honestly, he improved.
And during the Citrus Bowl, he showed up.
The VERY first play of Alabama’s first drive, Jones connected to Jerry Jeudy for a beautiful 85 yard pass.
And by the end of the game, Jones had once again thrown for over 300 yards. He finished the game completing 16 of 25 passes for 327 yards and 3 TDs against 15th ranked Michigan.
And by the end of the game, I knew I had to say this: Mac Jones is more than just a backup,
And in my opinion, he’d be the starting quarterback at many schools in the country, even the SEC.
And depending what Tagovailoa decides to do, there’s a chance Jones is the starter next season.
When you think of how much he has continued to improve and progress all season, just imagine how good he could be by next fall.
I’m just saying, he’s a good quarterback, and he’s certainly better than a lot of people have given him credit for.
He stepped up and showed up for Alabama when Tagovailoa went down, and he led his team to 3-4 wins as a starter.
At the end of the day, Jones’ leadership won over his team, and he proved he has what it takes to be more than just the backup.
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