TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Brothers Tua Tagovailoa and Taulia Tagovailoa both played in Alabama’s season-opening win over Duke this past Saturday, one as the starting quarterback and the other as the team’s third-string signal-caller in the fourth quarter that only handed off the football.

But shortly after the Crimson Tide made the short trip back to Tuscaloosa from Atlanta, Tua and Taulia made their way to the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility for a workout following the victory.

During his Thursday evening radio show at Baumhower’s Victory Grille, head coach Nick Saban was asked about Taulia and how he compared to Tua. And Saban shared how he and his staff have tried to keep the latter out of the weight room so he isn’t overworking his body this season.

“I don’t like to compare players, even when they’re brothers,” Saban said. “I think that Tua came in with a very high maturity sort of physically and emotionally, in terms of how he developed and how he improved and how he could stay focused on what he was supposed to do. And I think that’s why he developed so quickly here as a play.

“I think Taulia has a lot of ability, and certainly, we want to try to develop him the same kind of way. And I think they both have a lot of capabilities and a lot of potential. Tua’s obviously sort of fulfilled a lot of that, and I’m sure he’s not satisfied with where he is and works hard every day.

“Sometimes too hard. The guy works out like crazy, and we’re trying to say, ‘Sometimes less is more. You can do too much.’ And that’s Tua’s sort of mentality. So, I think it’s too early to tell. When a guy’s freshman and he first comes in and he’s only been here for a little while to know exactly how that guy’s going to develop and what he’s going to develop into. But I know there’s a lot of potential there.”

Tua threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-31 passing against the Blue Devils and took what the defense gave him, which is something Saban and company emphasized all offseason. When Duke choosing to eliminate the deep ball, Tua carved up his opponent with quick passes.

Starting the 2019 season off with a strong outing, the junior quarterback spent his offseason trying to get back into shape after tipping the scales at 230 pounds in March. In July, a leaner Tua said he weighed 215 pounds and wanted to be around 218 pounds this fall. Although his coach doesn’t want him working out too much, staying fit is clearly a priority for the Tagovailoas.

“After the Clemson game, I still had to do rehab, and so, I stayed off of my legs as much as I could, and, of course, you’re going to gain weight and whatnot,” Tua said at SEC Media Days. “But when I was able to move and do what I wanted to do and whatnot, it was very important to get back in shape. I feel a lot healthier than I did, probably, since I got to the University of Alabama.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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