"Terrell Owens, the Hall of Fame receiver, stood on the field after Alabama took down Georgia and thought one thing: finally. He remembered visiting the program that summer, when he and receivers Calvin Ridley, Cam Sims and Jerry Jeudy were in search of a quarterback to throw to them. Hurts was busy, so they called up Tagovailoa. Owens wasn't one to wait on a QB, let alone a freshman he'd never heard of, but they were raving about Tagovailoa so much that Owens had to see for himself.
For 90 minutes, Tagovailoa threw routes to Owens and the rest of the group. Of the countless passes he threw, Owens said he missed his mark only once.
"When you talk about precision, when you talk about timing, he was on point," he said. "You talk about the 'it' factor, this guy has 'it' and then some. ... I've seen pro guys not hit routes like that."
At the national championship game, Owens said he didn't panic when the Tide fell behind at halftime. When Tagovailoa trotted on the field, Owens turned to former Clemson star Wayne Gallman and said, "Game over."
"What?" Gallman asked.
"Trust me," Owens said. "This guy is the real deal."
The rise of Tua: From practice phenom to Heisman hopeful
For 90 minutes, Tagovailoa threw routes to Owens and the rest of the group. Of the countless passes he threw, Owens said he missed his mark only once.
"When you talk about precision, when you talk about timing, he was on point," he said. "You talk about the 'it' factor, this guy has 'it' and then some. ... I've seen pro guys not hit routes like that."
At the national championship game, Owens said he didn't panic when the Tide fell behind at halftime. When Tagovailoa trotted on the field, Owens turned to former Clemson star Wayne Gallman and said, "Game over."
"What?" Gallman asked.
"Trust me," Owens said. "This guy is the real deal."
The rise of Tua: From practice phenom to Heisman hopeful
