TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Tua Tagovailoa clearly remembers the cartoons. There were definitely cartoons played in the aftermath of college football history being made.
"Courage the Cowardly Dog," Alabama's quarterback recalled proudly.
While Tagovailoa lay in his hotel room bed in the hours following the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, he never actually went to sleep. Cartoon Network kept him company until sunrise.
"They were showing that at 2 or 3 in the morning. I was like 'Oooh, that was awesome.'"
A hit on "Good Morning America" had been scheduled early the next morning.
"I knew, if I went to sleep, I would never wake up [for it]," he said.
That's a peek behind the whirlwind that started Jan. 8. It hasn't abated yet. It has been barely 10 months since The Throw. Tagovailoa won a national championship that night in Atlanta before he had even started a game.
Heads were spinning everywhere except inside the brilliant mind that calculated the launch angle for the 41-yard strike to Devonta Smith that beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime.
You know the one. The play that unleashed Alabama's sophomore quarterback on the world.
"Last year is last year," Tagovailoa said this week. "We're focused on what we can do as a team. It was awesome that we got the opportunity to do that last year, but we've moved on from it."
Ah, c'mon kid. That's the kind of play they build statues and commission paintings to commemorate. With the 150th anniversary of college football coming next year, Tagovailoa's pass to Smith is easily one of the 10 most impactful plays in the history of the sport.
With a Georgia-Alabama rematch set for Saturday in Atlanta (4 p.m. ET on CBS), history is a big part of the game's storylines: same teams, same venue. The SEC championship at stake instead of a national crown, but it's guaranteed at least one playoff team will emerge Saturday as a result.
A collective shrug has emanated from the Alabama football facility this week. Nick Saban definitely doesn't want his players talking about history.
"It's too late in the season to come out and play OK," said nose guard Quinnen Williams said. "Late in the season we should be playing great."
Never mind a historic team now surrounds that historic moment. No. 1 Alabama this season became the first team in college football history to win each of its regular-season games by at least 20 points.
Tagovailoa has established himself as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
"Surprise wouldn't be the word," tailback Damien Harris said of this season. "We work hard for this. This just didn't happen overnight."
It just seems like it. Here are Georgia and Alabama back again for what seems to be developing as the SEC's version of the 10-Year War. That old Big Ten battle was defined as a decade worth of bitter meetings between Michigan's Bo Schembechler and Ohio State's Woody Hayes.
This time, it's Kirby (Smart) and Nick. They've only met once in that championship game, but the possibilities for the future seem endless. If Georgia wins Saturday, the teams could meet three times in less than year. That's assuming Alabama remains in the top four of the CFP.
Regardless, there is no sign the battle of titans is going to cease anytime soon.
Smart is in his third season. Saban, 67, has a contract that goes through 2025. Yes, please. We would like to have more of Alabama-Georgia.
Ignoring history would be ignoring the obvious. Georgia wants revenge. Alabama wants a second straight national title, the seventh for Saban's career. The shock of The Throw has not worn off.
Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses just wants to see the field. As a freshman, he broke his foot during playoff practice last December.
"I felt like I was so close to my ultimate goal," Moses said. "I feel like it was taken away from me. I was heart-broken. I went through a lot of emotions at that time. Watching it from the sidelines last year, us winning, it was a great accomplishment for our team. I still felt like I didn't do enough, like I didn't have a contribution to the win."
Moses goes into Saturday one of five finalists for the Butkus Award (nation's best linebacker).
It all happened so fast. Tagovailoa replaced quarterback Jalen Hurts at halftime with Bama trailing 13-0. While the new guy wasn't great, he was damn good completing 14 of 24 in the second half and overtime, throwing for three touchdowns.
"Last year, there wasn't tape to really watch [of Tagovailoa]," Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter said. "It was kind of a throw-it-in-your-face type thing. Just throw somebody out there because our No. 1 guy isn't getting it done."
There really wasn't anything to scout. Tagovailoa had thrown 77 passes in his freshman season.
"We had a game plan for Hurts the whole time," Ledbetter added. "We really didn't have anything to go off of with Tua. Watching tape on anybody gives you kind of [familiarity] with what they do."
Will a season's worth of tape matter Saturday? It hasn't so far as Tagovailoa remains on track to shatter the single-season pass efficiency record set by Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield last season. Only Mayfield's successor, Kyler Murray, has more yards per attempt this season.
Alabama is making history a different kind of way.
"I knew we'd have a different kind of team this year because of the receivers, the quarterback, having pretty good runners," Saban said. "The combination of being able to do the two things and having the balanced [offense], am I surprised? Did I think we were going to score this many points every game? Probably not. Did I think we were going to be pretty good on offense? I thought we needed to be because I didn't think we'd be quite as good on defense."
Even that has changed. In the month of November, the Tide allowed only 196 yards per game, rising from 16th in total defense nationally to sixth.
The Throw not only changed Alabama and the course of college football, it changed Tagovailoa's family. Parents Diane and Galu found themselves being asked for autographs while out shopping.
Their son Taulia became a celebrity himself after committing to Alabama. He and Tua will play together next season. Georgia hasn't given up. The Dawgs offered Taulia in October.
"Especially after that championship game, we realized it's not about football anymore," Galu said.
The Throw changed the trajectory of Hurts's career. Saban played it as straight down the middle as he could once it became obvious that Hurts was going to be the backup. Everyone sort of knew that Tagovailoa was getting the job, but how was Hurts going to react?
Hurts not only stayed but prospered … if 58 passes in 12 games is prospering.
"In the culture today, yourself comes first," center Ross Pierschbacher said. "The team kind of takes a backseat. Jalen staying really showed the team and this university what type of man he is and what kind of character he has."
About the only way Hurts appears Saturday is Alabama is on its way to another blowout. Alabama has been so dominant Tagovailoa has played the equivalent of eight of his team's 12 games, having thrown only three passes in the fourth quarter this season.
This year started with Saban saying Tagovailoa had to win the locker room.
"I don't think there is only one person who can win the locker room, per se," offensive tackle Jonah Williams said. "I think that, if you're going to be a starting quarterback, you have to have everyone's respect. Tua is obviously a likeable guy. He comes to work everyday despite some of the stardom he gets. He doesn't carry himself that way."
The year hasn't ended yet. Neither have the memories.
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