Jalen Milroe discuses final play against Michigan in Rose Bowl
Alabama’s biggest what-if from last season will remain a mystery.
Faced with a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line during overtime of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal game, Jalen Milroe lined up out of the shotgun needing to make a play to keep the Crimson Tide’s season alive.
Alabama drew up a designed quarterback run with the option for Milroe to throw the ball out to Roydell Williams, who was uncovered. However, the play unraveled as center Seth McLaughlin delivered a low snap, causing the quarterback to bend down to secure it while possibly altering his decision-making process.
After taking the snap, a seemingly flustered Milroe was met by a host of Michigan defenders, stopping him for no gain while securing a 27-20 win for the Wolverines.
During the “Bussin' With The Boys” podcast released Monday, Milroe was asked if he would have possibly had the awareness to pass the ball to Williams if the snap had been delivered at his chest.
“I guess we’ll never know,” Milroe said, shaking his head with a smile.
While the quarterback shied away from throwing his former center under the bus, he did expand on his thoughts from the play, stating that it allowed him to grow as a player.
“This is probably one of the most impactful plays of our whole season, and the ball’s in my hand the last play of the game,” Milroe said. “That speaks a lot about our coaching staff believing in me. So I took it as a positive although we came up short.
“After that game when I went back to the hotel room, I reflected on the season, reflected on the game. That made me really see how confident they were with me.”
Milroe said he called Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, thanking him for believing in him with the game on the line. The quarterback also spoke highly of his teammates, for their support during that moment.
"They believed in me so much," Milroe said. "The whole team, not just [the coaches]. When Coach Rees gave us that play call, no one was like, 'Man, why you calling that? Everyone said, 'Alright, bet.' No one, not the offensive line, not the receivers, not the running backs, no one had any hesitation on their face. We just came up short, that's all it was."
Milroe has since moved on from last season's disappointing finish, stating it won't be the final play of his career. At the moment, the quarterback says he and his teammates are excited to continue offseason improvements as they look to return to the College Football Playoff this coming season.
"I think we're really driven, we're starving, and we're really passionate about each other. That's how I can simplify this football team is those three things right there. And we have goals set for ourselves that we want to accomplish, but we acknowledge that it's going to take place right now. What are the habits that we have right now? I think that's something that's super exciting because we're nowhere near where we want to be at. And we acknowledge that, and we're excited for what the future holds because we have a lot of tests in front of us. So we're going to embrace it and enjoy the journey.