Update: Tua Tagovailoa actually underwent surgery on the ankle injury he suffered in the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship Game, according to Aaron Suttles of The Athletic. Jalen Hurts, his backup and hero against Georgia, had a minor procedure on his ankle in the middle of the season that knocked him out of two games and limited him down the stretch. Saban believes Tagovailoa will be back on the field in approximately two weeks.
Original story
After beating Georgia in the SEC Championship Saturday, Alabama has the next month off before it will play in a College Football Playoff semifinal. It will be without its starting quarterback for the first two weeks of that month as well.
Nick Saban said Sunday that an MRI revealed Tagovailoa had a high ankle sprain.
"It's about a two-week deal," said Saban. "Hopefully by the time we start practicing again, Tua will be back on field and ready to go"
Tagovailoa, who had been dealing with a knee sprain for much of the last month, suffered a pair of ankle injuries during Alabama's win. The second was to his right ankle, which was stepped on accidentally by an Alabama offensive lineman. That injury knocked him out of the game, and is the one that caused the high ankle sprain.
Of course, that's not a massive deal with Alabama being off for the next month. Plus, as we saw on Saturday in Atlanta, the Tide are in good shape even without Tagovailoa, as it was Jalen Hurts putting together the storybook ending to lead Alabama's comeback against the Bulldogs.
Still, even if the injury isn't a significant concern, it is a concern. When you look at the combination of injuries Tagovailoa has suffered to his knee, and now his ankle, there's a chance he won't be at 100 percent the next time he takes the field with the Tide offense.
Alabama will play against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29.
