Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press
The lasting image of Tua Tagovailoa in an Alabama uniform may be this: his face bleeding, his body curled up on the cart that carried him off the field after an injury left him in excruciating pain.
That was the scene on Saturday in Starkville, Miss., after Tagovailoa, the star Alabama quarterback, crumpled to the turf after two Mississippi State players chased him down late in the first half of a 38-7 Crimson Tide victory.
A towel over his head muffled his screams from what appeared to be serious hip and knee injuries, possibly one bookend moment to a promising college career.