TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Throw out the stat sheet and the three turnovers, Jalen Milroe wasn’t going to let any of that bring down his mood. Moments after recording a win in his first collegiate start, the redshirt freshman was all smiles.
“You come to Bama for games like this,” Milroe said. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to have fun. Football’s an enjoyable sport. I love it. No matter what happens, I enjoy it. It was definitely an enjoyable experience.”
Filling in for an injured Bryce Young, Milroe wasn’t perfect during Alabama’s 24-20 victory over Texas A&M. The dual-threat quarterback ran for 83 yards but fumbled twice. He also struggled to move the ball at times through the air, completing 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Milroe can fix all those mistakes at another time. Speaking to reporters after the game, he took full of advantage of Alabama’s 24-hour rule, enjoying himself while soaking up a hard-fought SEC win.
“I’m happy,” Milroe said. “We got the win against a tough A&M opponent. They played very well, and I’m happy. We’re going to turn on the tape and fix whatever we need to fix. But right now, I’m excited.”
Milroe might be living in the moment, but it's hard to ignore the challenge coming up. Next up for No. 1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0) in No. 8 Tennessee (5-0, 2-0) as the Crimson Tide travels to Knoxville for what should be its toughest test of the season. If life was difficult against the Texas A&M inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, it’s not going to get any easier in front of 100,000 screaming fans inside Neyland Stadium.
There’s no guarantee Young’s injured shoulder will be ready to go by the time Alabama takes on Tennessee next week. Before Saturday’s game against Texas A&M, Nick Saban told the Crimson Tide Sports Network radio broadcast that the team would not play Young unless he was at 100%.
If that isn’t the case, Milroe feels confident in his ability to step in again.
“The biggest thing I like to say is family — forget about me, I love you,’ Milroe said. “At the end of the day, I’m not playing for myself. I’m playing for my team. I’m playing for the guys around me. That’s the most important thing to me, and I think that’s important for any game moving forward.”
Young suffered an AC sprain to his throwing shoulder during last week’s game against Arkansas. Following the game, Saban said the Heisman Trophy winner had been supportive of Milroe all week during practice, helping in any way he could to prepare himself for the start. According to Milroe, the biggest thing the starter helped him with was mental preparation.
“Staying calm, cool and collected,” Milroe said. “One play at a time, that mentality. Getting guys to play our Bama standard like we like to say at Bama. The biggest thing was trying to get all 11 guys trying to stay on page.”
Moments after Saturday’s win, as Alabama’s fight song blared inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, Milroe and Young shared an embrace, taking some time to collect themselves amidst a storm of chaos.
Then Milroe got back to smiling.
“It was a special moment,” Milroe said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best game. We just appreciate how far we came. We went through a lot of adversity, A&M played very well against us. It was a special moment with me and Bryce, and I loved it.”
