Scott Frost Shares His Thoughts On Nick Saban’s Title Game QB Switch
© Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
Former UCF and now Nebraska head coach Scott Frost was asked to give his opinion on Nick Saban's decision to switch quarterbacks at halftime of the National Championship game. Per ESPN...
quote:(CollegeSpun)
Nebraska coach Scott Frost, who’s in Houston on Wednesday as a finalist for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award based on his run at UCF, was asked about Alabama coach Nick Saban’s decision to bench Jalen Hurts for Tua Tagovailoa in the national title game. “It was a decision I don’t know I would have been courageous enough to make. That’s the answer you want to hear. The other answer is that he was pretty obviously better and they had 12 games to figure that out and didn’t. Coach Saban is above criticism with everything he’s accomplished, so I don’t mean it that way, but I recruited Tua out of high school and knew what he could do and it doesn’t surprise me that he did what he did. Jalen’s a great player, too. That was a very bold and courageous move and I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier [in the season].” Frost’s recruitment of Tagovailoa dates back to his time as an Oregon assistant.
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Ole Frost better get used to visiting Texas and California a lot because he will have to recruit those two states to turn Nebraska around. Nebraska has all the intangibles to succeed except a fertile recruiting base.
Reply•3 months
Nebraska used to pull kids from Florida too back in the day. Thats why they loved the orange bowl under the old bowl alliances.
3 months
Only Nick has the balls to do anything like that. I'm an LSU fan, but I have to admit greatness.
Reply•3 months
coachw
0
13
013Don't worry. "Little Nicky" doesn't need someone to toot his horn, he does enough of that himself. Also, the thug that tried to punch a coach that "little nicky" didn't know anything about, I'm sure he kicked him off or severly disciplined him....right? This prick talks a good game, but NEVER disciplines any player if he needs him to play.
Reply•3 months
MountainCat150
150In 2011 our qb wasn’t getting it done and ol’ Lesticles refused to swap out our qbs even though Lee was the one who got us there in the first place. (Yes, I am still very very butt hurt)
Reply•3 months
Alabama would have eaten Lee alive. There was no winning that game for LSU baw.
3 months
That's a damn solid answer. Yes, he kind of talked out of both sides of his mouth a little bit but in an intelligent manner which outlined the two major perspectives at play here. I'm not sure why Tua didn't get more reps earlier, but it was still a balsy call to bring him in when he did.
Reply•3 months
gcmoney362
62Tua is the better quarterback. Alabama's offense the past two seasons has been based around the fact the Jalen is the better athlete. It has worked for them in the past; however, as LSU showed earlier in the season, if you contain his running ability and limit Calvin Ridley, Jalen is not a very good QB. Georgia exploited that and and was able to load the box and stuff the run. They did not prepare for a passing QB. Switching to Tua, who demonstrated he is the superior passer, broke Georgia's gameplan. LSU has been the victim of this in the last two bowl meetings with Notre Dame.
Reply•3 months
Well, only one team beat Bama and it wasnt LSU or Georgia. Auburn did the same thing though. Especially shutting down ridley.
3 months
If it ain't broke don't fix it. It broke in the title game so Nicky fixed it. What's so confusing or debatable about this simple concept?
Reply•3 months
Bama should have fixed it in the iron bowl. They didnt. It was a desperation move when Nick had his back against the wall in the NC game. Right call, right time. Possibly a bit late in the season, but Bama is co-champion with UCF, so all ends well I suppose.
3 months
hard to criticize keeping Hurts as your starter when he was 25-2. At least Saban knew Tua had the talent and made the move when he had to.
Reply•3 months
Just glad Frost is at a big boy school now so he can have his shot at the Playoff.
Reply•3 months
JackieTreehorn1010
1010The fool is Frost. Who in the hell would leave Orlando for Lincoln? He could have been a god there. Nebraska is dead and ain’t coming back.
Reply•3 months
yes, it's going to be very tough to resurrect Nebraska to elite levels. Current recruits weren't even alive when Nebraska was a big name. Maybe he can recruit nationwide and bring in some Florida guys, but it's an uphill battle because that state has no talent.
3 months
ColoBama01
01Nobody from Florida is coming to Nebraska. Chances of that happening are nil to none.
3 months
Stanley Morgan Jr is their returning leading WR, and was the best in the big 10 this year. He is from Louisiana. Their all time leading rusher (just a couple years ago), was from Alabama and was recruited by Bama and LSU, but didn't want to play DB. Up north Scott can get the hogs he needs to play his style of offense, and he can get the athletes he needs from down south. They also just picked up the #8 ranked dual threat in the country (#143 overall), who is from Cali. Last year they got the #7 ranked WR in the country (50th overall) and the #9 ranked pro style QB (top 200 recruit). They are going to be really good within 3 years.
3 months
yeah, the "Nick Saban is so brave..." narrative for replacing his qb at halftime with a true freshman has been so overblown. Hurts was terrible in that first half, and the change seemed inevitable. Pretty much everyone who had seen Tua play "meaningless" snaps throughout the year knew he was the better QB. If anything, the question posed to Saban should have been, "why did it take you so long to switch to the better QB?"
I will give Saban props for sticking with Tua in the championship game when there were a few missteps however. But ultimately it was clear hurts wasn't getting it done, so he HAD to try something else.
Reply•3 months
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