Tua Tagovailoa Leaves SEC Championship Game With Ankle Injury

Tagovailoa twisted his left ankle during the first quarter and hurt his right in the fourth when he was stepped on by his own lineman.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the SEC championship game against Georgia during the fourth quarter after suffering a right ankle injury.

Tagovailoa hurt his left ankle during the first quarter, only to sustain an injury to his right ankle at the start of the fourth. The Heisman Trophy candidate went down in the fourth after having his ankle stepped on by his own lineman. He was slow to get up and appeared to be grimacing as trainers came out to examine him. Jalen Hurts entered the game in Tagovailoa's place and led a game-tying touchdown on the drive.

CBS reported that Tagovailoa entered Alabama's locker room after having his shoe and ankle tape removed in the injury tent.

Tua Tagovailoa had his right ankle stepped on by his own lineman. Jalen Hurts warming up pic.twitter.com/ku1fRphRYL

— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) December 2, 2018

Earlier, Tagovailoa threw his third interception of the season on the Crimson Tide's first drive on Saturday, getting picked off by Georgia’s Richard LeCounte in the red zone. In addition to the turnover, Tagovailoa appeared to injure his left ankle on the play, twisting his lower leg as he was brought to the turf by Bulldogs defenders.

Tua throws a pick in the red zone and then limps off the field 👀
(via @CBSSports)pic.twitter.com/o1v8nBbc7G

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 1, 2018

Tagovailoa was monitored in the injury tent after heading to the sidelines, and the CBS broadcast relayed that Alabama would only describe the situation as an "undisclosed injury." He didn't miss any playing time, though, entering the game on Alabama's second offensive series.

The Crimson Tide will likely be the top seed in the College Football Playoff with a victory over Georgia. The Bulldogs are the defending SEC Champions, while Alabama won the conference title in three-straight seasons from 2014-16.

Tagovailoa is one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy. He entered Saturday's contest with 36 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions in 12 starts.