TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A pair of Alabama offensive starters exited the game against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon and did not return to the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took a hit on his quad muscle and could not get the muscle loose because of the cold weather, according to the CBS Sports television broadcast.

"Tua could have gone back in the game if needed to," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said after the game. "He got hit low a few times out there today, and I think he got hit in the front of the knee, not the back, which is what his initial problem was. I think he's OK."

Tagovailoa was sacked four times in the game and exited it on the final takedown behind the line of scrimmage in the third quarter. He was replaced by redshirt freshman Mac Jones to start the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa threw for 164 yards, one touchdown and one interception -- his second of the season -- on 14-of-21 passing. His rushing totals were -24 yards on eight carries.

The sophomore briefly visited the medical tent before riding a stationary bike on the sideline.

Like Saban said, Tagovailoa took some hits low, and Saban was asked about that after the game.

"Look, the NFL has a rule for that. The NFL has a lot of rules to protect people -- some of which people complain about," Saban said. "But I think we have a lot of capable people in the NCAA to make decisions about what are good rules relative to player safety. I've always been supportive of those rules, and I think somebody else should really make a decision about whether there's anything wrong with what happened in this game today.

"I'm not complaining about it. Football is football and it is what it is, and we need to do a better job of protecting our quarterback so people don't get a chance to do it."

Deonte Brown started his third consecutive game at left guard but visited the medical tent in the first quarter and did not return to the game. He was replaced by seven-game starter Lester Cotton.

"Deonte Brown went out of the game, he got turf toe and that may be a little bit more of an issue for him, especially for next week," Saban said. "... We have a lot of confidence in Lester Cotton, but Deonte has played really, really well for us these couple of games he's started. I thought he played a very, very good game last week against LSU. So, he's a very powerful guy and he's playing with more confidence, so we were very pleased with the way he was playing.

"I can't comment on how Lester played until I watch the film, but we have confidence that he can play and play well. He's been a starter for a long time."

Alabama will next host The Citadel on Saturday, Nov. 17, for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

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

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