Watch never-seen-before video of Saban benching Hurts for Tua

Alabama FootballAlabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) takes a pass from Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) and turns it into a national championship, running into the end zone to win in overtime, 26-23, during the first overtime period of the Alabama vs Georgia CFP championship football game, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com ORG XMIT: ALBIN401APNick Saban knew he had to make the change from Jalen Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, even if it came to the shock of his coaching staff.The result was one of the most memorable moments in Alabama history when Tagovailoa, a freshman, hit DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown that gave No. 4 Alabama a 26-23 overtime victory against No. 3 Georgia for the College Football Playoff national championship. The day was Jan. 8, 2018. Saban’s Crimson trailed the Georgia Bulldogs 13-0 at half.“Saban,” the six-part ESPN documentary, shared never-seen-before footage of Saban delivering the news in the locker room to the team and his quarterbacks.“I knew walking off the field at halftime, that was the time,” Saban said during the documentary. He first, however, dealt with the shock of the coaches.“I say to them, ‘We need to change quarterbacks,’” Saban explained. “And everybody looks to me like, ‘You’re crazy.’“I said, ‘No, we need to throw the ball to win the game, and I think Tua would give us a better chance to do that based on what I see happening on the field.”While Hurts had 47 yards on just two carries in the first half, he was 3 of 8 passing for just 21 yards through the air.“Brian Daboll is the offensive coordinator, and I’ll never forget this, he looks at me and said, ‘Well, who’s gonna tell him.’“I said, ‘Does that mean you want me to tell him?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘OK.’Tagovailoa, now a Falcons quarterback, reacted to the moment in the documentary.“I think I had a feeling that I could potentially go in, but it was sort of surreal that it was in that moment that my number got called,” he said. Tagovailoa finished with 166 yards and three scores on 14 of 24 passing.Hurts, on the other hand, still appears to bothered by the decision.“I can’t say I was surprised, but yeah,” the Eagles quarterback said searching for words in the documentary.So how did Saban break the news?“We’ll choose as we go, but you’re gonna start the second half,” Saban said to Tagovailoa in front of Hurts and the Tide. “Then, we’re gonna play two guys.”Hurts didn’t see the field the rest of the night.“Do I think he liked it?” Saban asked in the documentary of Hurts. “Hell no. He’s a competitor. He wants to play. He wants to do well. No different than anyone else that ever played a sport. No one wants to be insignificant, but I didn’t make that decision in two minutes. I made it in two minutes, but I thought about for two months.“You don’ make emotional decisions, ‘Oh, I’m really frustrated we’re not moving the ball right now, so I’m going to change quarterbacks?“No, it was calculated.” Mark Heim is a senior writer who provides sports, news and trending content. He co-hosts a daily sports radio show on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile. Heim has been recognized with awards for his writing, headlines and...