Other than winning the football game the biggest responsibility of the coach is to ensure one thing doesn’t happen. Don’t hurt the quarterback. With the recent evolution in offenses these days, the quarterback’s importance has skyrocketed even requiring teams to have multiple capable options if need be.
So why does Nick Saban send Tua Tagovailoa on the field for field goals and extra points? Normally coaches put their backup quarterbacks in that position in case of a broken play and to keep their starters out of danger. Even last year second-string quarterback Mac Jones did the holding for the Crimson Tide’s special teams so why make the change this year?