Two seasons ago Alabama coach Nick Saban nearly lost a shot at the national championship by waiting so long to put quarterback Tua Tagovailoa into the title game against Georgia.

Saturday, Saban risked blowing a whole lot more by waiting too long to take Tagovailoa out of a game.

The Crimson Tide were leading overwhelmed Mississippi State 35-7 when Tagovailoa came out of Saturday’s game in Starkville, Miss., just before halftime. The problem was that when Tagovailoa finally did leave the field at Davis-Wade Stadium, he wasn’t able to do it by himself. He had to be helped up off the turf, placed, writhing, on a cart and eventually airlifted to a Birmingham, Ala., hospital to begin treatment on a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture.

The type of fracture is said to be commonly associated with high-speed vehicle crashes.

Sunday he was flown to another hospital in Houston, where on Monday, according to a statement by the school, Tagovailoa underwent “successful” surgery on his right hip by a renowned specialist in the field.

Whether Tua, a projected first-round pick — and, by some forecasts, even the presumptive top overall selection for April’s NFL Draft, which comes with a signing bonus of approximately $25 million — goes on to have a successful and highly lucrative career remains to be seen.

But the question that immediately popped up when Tagovailoa went down under the sledgehammer-like pounding of two defenders on top of him — and one that endures — is: What was he even doing in that game at that point?

Whether he would play in the game in the first place had been, Saban said during the week, a game-time decision, making it more of a curious call. The previous week Tagovailoa limped off the field following the loss to LSU, 20 days removed from a second ankle surgery (one on each) in less than a year.

Against Mississippi State, Tagovailoa had led Alabama to scores in all five of its drives, at which point it seemed like there was little else for him to prove. Or, anything approaching a crying need for immediate additional cushion.

Maybe Alabama felt in need of making style points to enhance its case for a place in the four-team College Football Playoff. Or, if you believe Saban, they just wanted Tagovailoa to get some more work in a two-minute offense then and there.

Tagovailoa wanted to remain in. Of course he did. Most would. And Tagovailoa is more diesel driven, more competitive than most, which is part of how he got to where he is.

But you expect his veteran coach to assess the risk-reward odds better, for both the sake of the player’s future and that of the team. Especially when it concerns his star player who has suffered a series of injuries and there are more big games down the road and a lucrative pro career waiting.

Saban is one of the greatest coaches in college football history and certainly the most accomplished of his era. But he is not immune to mistakes, and the more you look at it this has the potential to be a big one.

The hope and prayers of many are that Tagovailoa will be able to work his way back and regain the health that allows him to have a successful and prosperous career.

To that end, Alabama has seen to it that Tagovailoa has gotten some of the best medical attention money can buy and whisked him there to get it.

Sadly, for whatever reason, one of college football’s most celebrated, highest-paid coaches ($8.9 million annually) waited so long to get Tagovailoa out of harm’s way.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.