Alabama freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his collegiate debut on Saturday and threw a touchdown pass in the Crimson Tide’s 41-10 win over Fresno State.
Tagovailoa, a Saint Louis alumnus and the reigning Honolulu Star-Advertiser offensive player of the year, finished 6-for-9 for 64 yards with a 16-yard touchdown throw to Henry Ruggs III in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“I thought Tua did a pretty good job in a game he obviously will learn from,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters after the game. “I think he did a lot of good things. He made some accurate throws and made some good decisions, managed the game fairly well.”
Tagovailoa took the field for the first time in the second quarter and was sacked on first down. He threw an incomplete pass on third down as Alabama went three-and-out. He returned to the game in the second half.
“(Tagovailoa) took a sack when he shouldn’t have taken a sack. Didn’t have great protection but still had an opportunity to get rid of the ball and we don’t need to be taking negative plays,” Saban said. “We were going to put him in in the second quarter no matter what the score of the game was.”
Tagovailoa is No. 2 on the depth chart behind starter Jalen Hurts, who finished 14-for-18 for 128 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
Tagovailoa had three carries for 8 yards.
“All in all, (Tagovailoa) did a pretty good job and I think the experience he got today will be invaluable,” Saban said. “Hopefully we can continue to do that some down the road.”
Isobe ties program record
Portland State sophomore Kasey Isobe was named the Big Sky women’s soccer offensive player of the week on Tuesday after tying a program record on Sunday.
Isobe, a 2016 Mililani alumna and midfielder for the Vikings, tied the record for points in a match with eight in an 8-0 victory over Chicago State.
Isobe played only 30 minutes in the match yet recorded three goals and two assists.
She has played in five of PSU’s seven matches this season off the bench, and still has managed four goals in just five shots and has found the back of the net on every shot on goal she’s attempted.
The Vikings (3-4) host Seattle University on Sunday.
ECU’s Markwith makes all-tournament team
East Carolina sophomore Brandee Markwith, a 2016 Punahou alumna, was named to the all-tournament team of the ECU Classic on Sunday.
Markwith averaged 5.25 digs per set in four matches, helping the Pirates finish 2-2.
She set the single-match program record with 40 digs in a five-set loss to Gardner-Webb and ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in digs per set with 5.33.
