Joseph Goodman is a GD fool

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Tua Tagovailoa might already be better than crack ice cream, whatever that means, but he needs to be better than Jalen Hurts this season if he wants to be remembered as one of Alabama’s all-time greats.

It was former quarterback Trent Dilfer — just a brilliant wordsmith, that guy — who recently said Tagovailoa was such a good quarterback that he was like “the ultimate ice cream on crack.” Hey, sometimes words fail the best of us. The addictive hype around Tua has been ridiculous ever since second and 26, but let’s be sober for a change. He was not very good against Georgia in the SEC championship, and he was outclassed in the national championship game by Clemson.

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On Saturday, he wasn’t consistent in Alabama’s spring game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tua’s Crimson team lost to the White team 31-17. He had his moments, but it wasn’t a very Tua-like performance.

Kind of like the national championship game.

For Alabama, it’s time to start worrying. For everyone else, it is time to compare.

Some of those throws Tagovailoa attempted in San Jose were awful, and Hurts, the backup quarterback, saved the season in Atlanta. For all of Tagovailoa’s greatness in 2018 against mediocre teams (LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma), his struggles in championship games defined his first full season.

Now he’s a junior, and he can be drafted in the NFL this time next year, so people like good ol’ Trent are pretty confident this is Tua’s last season at Alabama. Before even being projected as a first-round pick, Tua still has a lot to prove. (Trent, for the record, said Tua is already a better prospect than Dan Marino, Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers.)

Crack kills, Trent.

And so does hype.

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How is Tua going to perform against elite defenses this season? Can he stay healthy? Those storylines won’t be answered until the fall, but one question is already beginning to form this spring.

And it is going to determine how we remember Tua if this is indeed his final season.

How is he going to perform this season in relation to Hurts? They will be compared against each other all season, and beginning right now.

Tua completed 19 of 37 attempts on Saturday for 265 yards. He had a touchdown throw, but also an interception. Statistically, White team quarterback Mac Jones actually out-performed Tua. Jones was 19 of 23 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

On Friday, Hurts completed 11 of 14 passing attempts for 174 yards and a touchdown.

Tua ran off Hurts last year, and now Hurts is at Oklahoma and his singular mission in life is to win the national championship. Showing up Tua along the way would be a bonus. All championships during the Nick Saban Era go through Alabama, of course, so a matchup of Hurts and Tua in the playoffs isn’t really that far fetched.

Alabama played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in January, and Oklahoma has made three of the first five College Football Playoffs. They’re a favorite this season with Hurts, too.

Tua Tagovailoa authored an uneven performance during Alabama's A-Day spring game, as his Crimson team lost, 31-17.

Hurts probably won’t be named Oklahoma’s official starter until the fall, but he didn’t transfer there to be a backup. He’s going to be the starter, and every throw and every run will be analyzed by Alabama fans just as much as people in Big 12 country.

Hurts is beloved in Alabama for how he put the team before himself last season. Remember, people were just absolutely certain that Hurts was going to use his redshirt and shut it down after the first few games and then transfer.

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Instead, Hurts went from 26-2 as a starter to backing up Tua. Hurts’ leadership off the bench was inspiring. Then, against Georgia, Hurts saved the Crimson Tide.

Tua couldn’t finish the job.

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