Tua vs. Trevor: Young guns set to face off in CFP Championship

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama and Trevor Lawrence of Clemson have become household names as each young quarterback prepares to lead his team in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night.

Tagovailoa, a sophomore, has No. 1 Alabama perfect as the program seeks its third national title in four seasons.

Lawrence led No. 2 Clemson back to the title game as a true freshman and its fourth playoff contest against Alabama in as many years.

A year ago, the two were in much different circumstances.

As a freshman at Alabama, Tagovailoa went through the entire season as Jalen Hurts’ backup.

Trailing 13-0 at halftime to Georgia in the 2018 title game, Alabama coach Nick Saban replaced Hurts with Tagovailoa. The true freshman capped off a 26-23 Alabama comeback victory with a stunning 41-yard touchdown throw to DeVonta Smith in overtime.

“Being able to play over and over, you start to gain confidence and you start to get comfortable,” Tagovailoa said. “I just wanted an opportunity and I was hoping for it and I ended up getting it.”

As a sophomore, he has thrown for 3,671 yards, 41 touchdowns, only four interceptions, and has run for 199 and five TDs. Tagovailoa had surgery on his right ankle after suffering a sprain against Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game a month ago.

After a month of rehabilitation, he went 24-for-27 for 318 yards and four touchdowns in Alabama’s 45-34 semifinal victory over No. 4 Oklahoma.

“I thought last week we saw him healthy,” Alabama offensive coordinator Michael Locksley said. “Usually when he’s healthy and he has the ability to be a threat as a thrower as well as a runner, it opens things up on the offensive side.”

Associate head coach Dan Enos says Tagovailoa’s ability to battle injuries, which began with an injury to his right knee Oct. 8 against Arkansas, is an underappreciated part of his game. For Saban, it’s just a part of who he is.

“Tua is a special guy in terms of his work ethic, the kind of person he is, the drive that he has to be really a good player,” Saban said.

While Tagovailoa’s second-half heroics last January took the world by storm, Lawrence was stepping onto Clemson’s campus for the first time.

Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson led the Tigers past Alabama for the 2017 national championship. It didn’t take long for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney to realize he had another player of that caliber.

“The day he got there, literally,” Swinney said. “The first day, because we have a lot of stuff that we install … Physically, [Lawrence] was a little bit ahead [of Watson]. But just his demeanor, his poise, his ability to absorb the playbook.”

Lawrence has the chance to become the first true freshman to lead his team to a national championship since Jamelle Holieway led Oklahoma past Penn State in the 1986 Orange Bowl.

Through the first four games, Lawrence split time with Kelly Bryant, who transferred to Missouri after Lawrence was named the Tigers’ starter.

In his starting debut against Syracuse, Lawrence exited the game after taking a hit to the head while running out of bounds. As Hurts has stepped up for Alabama, Clemson backup quarterback Chase Brice kept Clemson’s championship hopes alive against the Orange by stringing together a late 94-yard touchdown drive to give Clemson the 27-23 victory.

Lawrence returned the next game and has 2,933 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.

“I think it’s crazy to have this opportunity, especially as a freshman,” Lawrence said. “You never know when you’re going to get a shot like this and you might not.”