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Heisman Trophy finalists Kyler Murray of Oklahoma, Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama take center stage again

Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State, Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama pose with the trophy during a media event on Dec. 8 before the announcement in New York. (AP photo)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa have struck up a friendship over the past several weeks, which shouldn’t be surprising considering how much time the quarterbacks have spent alongside one another in that span.

They were in Atlanta together at a college football awards show, where Tagovailoa took home the Maxwell Award.

They were in New York a few days later for the Heisman Trophy presentation, where Murray claimed the top prize.

So maybe it’s fitting that they’ll both be center-stage again — this time, at Saturday’s Orange Bowl, where a berth in the College Football Playoff championship game awaits one of them. Murray and the fourth-ranked Sooners (12-1) will meet with Tagovailoa and the top-ranked Crimson Tide (13-0), with the new friends set to become foes for a few hours.

“You know, it’s football. We all understand the level of respect we have for each other,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday. “We understand it’s just competition. Off the field, it’s a lot different. But on the field, you’ve got to go out there. It’s your job. You’ve got to compete for your team, for the university, for the state.”

And this time, for a shot at the national title.

They were supposed to share the spotlight Wednesday morning at a media availability, but Murray was a late cancellation because of an undisclosed illness — one that doesn’t seem to worry the Sooners too much. Offensive coordinator Cale Gundy didn’t even know Murray was sick until he got into the car that took the Sooners to the interview site and realized his Heisman winner wasn’t along for the ride.

Tagovailoa was walking without a limp Wednesday and declared his surgically repaired right ankle — it was scoped earlier this month to accelerate the healing of a high sprain — to be at about 80 to 85 percent. But now it’s Murray whose health status seems to be an issue, at least on some level.

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