Milroe, Simpson 'making progress' after second spring scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson "made progress" in Alabama's second spring scrimmage according to head coach Nick Saban.

After last week's offensive barrage to open up the four-week mini camp, Saban said Saturday's effort showed improvement but isn't as consistent as he wants the team to be. That also extended to the two signal callers.

"They both made some good plays but they both made some plays that they probably wished they could have had back," Saban said. "They are making progress and improving. I think they're developing some confidence in what they are supposed to read and what they are supposed to do. I thought we were a little up and down today. I think we made some really good plays but I also thought we made some mistakes that we need to eliminate."

Saban said after the team's first scrimmage that both potential starters "did a really nice job" working with both the first-team and second-team offenses. Saturday didn't have that same type of success partially because of the defense's ability to create turnovers.

For more than a week, Saban called out the defense for not being able to force turnovers something the unit took to heart and showcased in the second scrimmage.

"We got a few more turnovers today which last week I think we got one," Saban said. "I think today we got four or five, but it goes back to the same old thing. We're preaching ball security to the offense so if we give up the ball, it's good for the defense and bad for the offense."

While there were more miscues from the offense, it's all a part of the spring process where both quarterbacks are not only getting comfortable in the offense but are learning new skills. For Ty Simpson, it's his rushing ability an aspect that he showed off in high school tallying 862 yards and 11 touchdowns on 92 carries.

"He can make plays with his feet," Saban said. "I think Jalen is probably really special when it comes to that because of his speed. Ty does it fairly well. He's a good athlete, he can run the ball and he ran the ball a lot in high school. It's tough but he makes pretty good decisions when he's running the ball."

For Milroe, one of the main focuses this spring is his ability to run the ball but the onus is on ball security. Last season, the Katy, Texas native dazzled with his speed rushing for 263 yards and a touchdown on 31 attempts. The most famous of his runs was his 77-yard dash to the end zone against Arkansas where he came in relief of the injured Bryce Young.

His tendency and comfort with running the ball led to questions about his pocket awareness something Saban put to rest when he was asked about it on Saturday.

"I think he's made progress and the more experience he has, the better he's gonna get at those types of things," Saban said. "I think one of the things we've really tried to emphasize is two hands on the ball. I didn't think his pocket awareness was bad last year. I think his ball security was not where it needed to be. Sometimes when he starts moving around, you've got to have two hands on the ball so they can't knock the ball out of his hands. That's something we've worked really hard on so far this spring."

Both quarterbacks will look to clean up their mistakes on Tuesday during Alabama's 13th practice of the spring.

"There's a lot of opportunities to learn," Saban said. "I think the most important thing is everybody assesses where they were a week ago. How much improvement did they and what they need to do to continue."