📡 Mac as QB. We're being asked to ignore what he did vs Arkansas. Mississippi State and the second half is what we should pay attention to. BUT ...

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

@JoseyWalesTheOutlaw, and Kentucky looked at him as a there year starter.

You did say Kentucky right....hell a one legged blind man could get minutes at UK

 

[mando]

247 had mac as a 3 star and espn had him as a 4 star. had offers from Missouri, Kentucky and Tx A&M according to the espn recruiting page.

He was considered an SEC level talent just not at the top tier schools. At this point lets give him our support. He has been in the program for awhile so he should know what to do. He just needs to show he can do it under fire. Just like with any new QB that only started one game, there will be some good and some bad.

 

[jdpas29]

I’ve never been less concerned about a backup... well... except for when Tua came in to the uga game. #memories

 

[rick4bama]

Mac will do great as the starter QB. We all need to back him and make No#10 as great as No#13 is!!!

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Has great talent around him
Just need D to tighten up

 

[bama alum]

Mac will do great as the starter QB. We all need to back him and make No#10 as great as No#13 is!!!

The fans at the game Saturday need to really cheer him on. Rally around Mac!

 

[MunchyOs]

There is a lot of hand wringing over the IB now, and understandably so. I know that I panicked and immediately horror fantasized that it could be as bad as the 2005 IB, if not a whole lot worse. However, given that we still have the best WRs in the nation and Najee is in beast mode right now, along with the fact that the barn is in disarray, I don't see us losing that game. Will we win in a blowout? No. I see it being akin to the 2015 IB. An ugly, sloppy outing, and doing just enough to win. Does Mac have to have a lights out performance for us to get the win? If he can just get the ball to Smith, Jeudy, Ruggs, Waddle on some short passes, hell that should be enough to score 20-24. And let's face it, the barn's offense is a pile of shit and they aren't suddenly going to make a miraculous turnaround. They will get a couple of TD's, but I can't see it being more than that. If they keep putting that defense right back out on the field, then they will wear down. That is when I can see Najee running right over them, a la Shaun Alexander in the 1999 IB. Shit is bad at the barn right now. Team morale is in the toilet. Gatewood leaving didn't help that cause and then there is the buzz surrounding the bus and will he be back next season. Who knows what may happen, but I really can't see them beating us like they did Purdue in the bowl game last season. Even if we totally shit the bed from the very beginning.

 

[shipley00]

I seem to have a different recollection of the year Mac signed. He signed before Tua as the #9 overall Pro Style QB. Bama intended to sign two QBs that year, a dual threat and a pro style. Mac was 2nd (not a distant second) on the Bama board for Pro Style. #1 was Jake Fromm.
Mac received offers from 4 other SEC schools and 30 Div 1. If you don't think he would have been the starter at UK, Missou, Ole Miss or competing for #1 and Tex AM, you're nuts. I'm not saying he's Tua nor am I comparing him to Tua. He has the talent and time in the program to excel. Only reps will tell.

 

[RollllTide!]

I like Mac. Coach will adjust the game plan to his abilities.

 

[mando]

PFF ranks Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa's replacement, as top-10 QB

...

247sports.com

Alabama is without junior starter Tua Tagovailoa for the remainder of the 2019 season, but the Crimson Tide have one of college football's best backups available for the last stretch.

As the offense gives the keys to Mac Jones in the wake of Tagovailoa's dislocated hip, the sophomore backup takes over with one publication ranking him among the game's top 10 signal callers for Week 13.

After the Tide (9-1, 6-1) won 38-7 over Mississippi State (2-5) Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, Pro Football Focus ordered the top 130 starting quarterbacks and considered Jones the 10th best.

"He's an accurate quarterback and though he is no Tua, he certainly can become something special if he takes over in turbulent times and leads the Crimson Tide to an 11-1 record this season," said Cam Mellor, PFF's lead college football analyst, in Tuesday's article.

Alabama is sure to miss Tagovailoa, who completed 180 of 252 passes (71.4 percent) for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns to three interceptions with 27 carries for 133 yards (4.9 average) and two touchdowns in nine games, but Jones has shown enough with limited time.

After Tagovailoa's departure in the second quarter, Jones completed 7 of 11 passes (63.6 percent) for 94 yards. In Tagovailoa's place for Oct. 19's 35-13 win over Tennessee (5-5, 3-3), Jones completed 6 of 11 passes (54.5 percent) with 72 yards off the bench. He started Oct. 26's 48-7 rout of Arkansas (2-8, 0-6) and went 18 for 22 (81.8 percent) with 235 yards and three touchdowns.

In eight games, Jones has completed 45 of 65 passes (69.2 percent) for 566 yards and four touchdowns to one interception.

“I feel like (Jones) is (underrated),” said DeVonta Smith, Alabama's junior playmaker and leading receiver, during Tuesday's media availability. “A lot of people overlook him because of who he was behind, but I feel the same way about Mac as I feel about Tua.”

Jones has Smith among his disposal of playmakers in the Tide's offense, which still boasts junior talents such as running back Najee Harris and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

The two highlight the tip of the iceberg for Alabama, which, behind a strong line, maintains enough weapons with Jones as the nation's No. 4 unit in scoring (46.8 points per game) and No. 8 total offense (510.4 yards per game.

As the Tide end the schedule against FCS Western Carolina (3-8, 2-6 SoCon) Saturday and at No. 12 Auburn (7-3, 4-3), the consensus is that Jones can take the team to an 11-1 record and keep College Football Playoff hopes alive.

“I don’t think the offense changes much at all (with Jones),” said Nick Saban, Alabama's 13th-year head coach, at Monday's press conference. “Mac played in the Arkansas game and did a nice job. … He’s smart. He understands the offense. He’s made a lot of improvement throughout the course of the year. We have a lot of confidence in Mac, and I think Sark’s done a really good job of helping him develop throughout the year.

“We’re not changing what we do. Mac is a very capable guy. He’s a smart guy, and we have a lot of confidence in what he can do and what he will do.”

 

[BamaFan334]

It's great that Najee is killing it with the ball and the offensive line is putting it together. Mac is ready to go. You see him on the sideline before Tua went back in? He was ready. That taste against Arkansas has him ready in my mind. I will always remember that first taste of Varsity football under the lights and how I was chomping at the bit for the next opportunity. Gonna be a lot different than Tua, but that was bound to happen regardless of the injury when he left for the NFL.