playTua leaves game after apparent ankle injury (0:37)Tua Tagovailoa heads to the locker room in the second quarter after a Tennessee defender falls on his right ankle. (0:37)11:16 PM ETIvan MaiselESPN Senior Writer CloseSenior college football writer
Six-time FWAA award winner
Graduate of Stanford UniversityTUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a high right ankle sprain during Saturday night’s 35-13 win over Tennessee, and coach Nick Saban told ESPN’s Molly McGrath that he will “probably be out for a week or two.”Tennessee defensive tackle Greg Emerson sacked Tagovailoa for a 5-yard loss at the Alabama 16 on the first play of the Crimson Tide’s second possession of the second quarter. Replays showed that Emerson rolled over Tagovailoa’s feet as he took the QB down.Tagovailoa didn’t come out immediately. On the next play, the Alabama junior threw a screen pass to running back Brian Robinson Jr. for 5 yards. But something was amiss. As the play clock ticked down, Alabama called a timeout with 6:03 left in the first half. Tagovailoa left the field and went into the injury tent.With four minutes left in the half, Tagovailoa, showing a slight limp, walked under his own power into the Tide locker room. He was ruled out at halftime.After the game, Saban called the injury a high ankle sprain. The coach said it was not the same ankle the star quarterback required surgery on last December after injuring it in the SEC championship game.Tagovailoa threw only one incompletion in his quarter and a half, going 11-for-12 for 155 yards. He threw his second interception of the season in the first quarter, on a first-and-goal pass from the Vols’ 2 that safety Nigel Warrior returned 59 yards down the sideline.”The biggest play in the game was the first-and-2 at the 2,” Saban said at halftime. “We throw an interception, and they end up scoring, so it’s a 14-point swing and we’ve got total control of the game.”Sophomore Mac Jones replaced Tagovailoa in the second half. He was 6-of-11 passing for 72 yards.With 4:55 to play in the third quarter, Alabama receiver Slade Bolden threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Miller Forristall out of the Wildcat. It was the Crimson Tide’s only touchdown pass of the night.Alabama hosts Arkansas on Saturday, then has a bye week, and then entertains No. 2 LSU on Nov. 9.
High ankle sprain forces Tua from Alabama win
