How Alabama football rode out early-season storm to reach SEC title game and maybe the CFP
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The score drew notice across college football: South Florida 3, Alabama 0. Sure, it was early in Week 3, and a torrential downpour had caused a weather delay that sent the teams back to their locker rooms. But what was up with Alabama, a 30-point favorite?
The Crimson Tide lost 34-24 the week before to Texas at home, launching all kinds of questions about the state of Nick Saban’s program, with the starting quarterback at the forefront. Jalen Milroe , the choice to succeed No. 1 NFL Draft pick Bryce Young , had committed two costly turnovers against the Longhorns , and Saban benched him for the trip to South Florida, exploring if Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson could get things going under first-year coordinator Tommy Rees.
Now ... this. Those quarterbacks didn’t appear to be the answer, although the Crimson Tide pulled out a 17-3 victory after play resumed in soggy Tampa. What would Saban do next? Was Milroe the best option? Even former standout Tide players like Bo Scarbrough, Reggie Ragland, Reuben Foster and Marquis Maze were grousing on social media.
Nearly three months later, that same team will have a chance to play for an SEC championship and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Tide didn’t have the week-in, week-out dominance of past Saban teams, but two traits emerged: consistent improvement and resiliency. Milroe transformed into a legitimate dual-threat quarterback and a likely early favorite for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Saban has lauded this team for its ability to fight through adversity.
“That’s what this team has done all year,” Saban said. “We’ve come from behind many times, made plays when we had to make them.”
Now, the biggest challenge is ahead Saturday: another colossal matchup with two-time defending national champion Georgia .
A players-only meeting took place the Sunday after the win at South Florida. One player who stood up and addressed the room didn’t play at all the previous day. Milroe, demoted to third string, had made an impact as a teammate, in one moment celebrating emphatically with Simpson after a touchdown drive. The image made its rounds on social media and drew praise from Saban.
Despite being benched, Jalen Milroe is the ultimate teammate( ) pic.twitter.com/ckLjVbyAXu
— SEC Network September 17, 2023
“These were his exact words: It doesn’t matter what position we’re in. It doesn’t matter who’s playing; we have to go out there and support each other.’ That just speaks to his character,” defensive back Terrion Arnold , Milroe’s best friend, on what Milroe told the team.
Saban named Milroe the starting quarterback the following day, five days before the team’s first signature win of the season against Ole Miss , in which Milroe completed 6 of 7 passes in the second half and provided the first of his many signature plays this season: a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hale . Milroe took a hard hit on the play and went down, but he got up to ignite the home crowd and his team en route to a dominant second half and a 24-10 comeback win.
Milroe, a highly ranked dual-threat quarterback from Katy, Texas, who has been on campus since 2021, is quick to point out that he’s far from a finished product. His work ethic is noticeable within the building, and he consistently falls back on lessons learned from Young from preparation to composure and leadership.
If Alabama is working out at 6:30 a.m., Milroe is at the facility at 4:30 a.m., and his composure has revealed itself multiple times this season, highlighted by last week’s Iron Bowl win at Auburn and the clutch and now famous fourth-and-31 completion . One aspect of leadership that he directly adopted from Young is being the first player in the tunnel before, during and after games to make sure he high-fives each teammate. He showed the ultimate display of leadership in what was a dark time for him at South Florida but understood the team needed him more. It was a necessary lesson that helped change the course of the season.
“(Bryce) was a servant leader,” Milroe said. “He did things to only benefit the team. I think that was something that we all took from Bryce. For me, as a quarterback, that’s something I saw that allows a quarterback to be successful. It’s all about the 11 guys on the field. It’s not an ‘I’ sport, it’s a team sport. That’s the biggest thing, making sure everything is on the same page.”
The evolution of Milroe and Alabama’s offense was still a work in progress in the weeks following Milroe regaining the starting job . The offense under Rees had an identity early, although not a comfortable or sustainable one as it relied almost entirely on big plays. Milroe provided exciting moments, like two touchdown passes in the second half in a comeback win at Texas A&M, but he still took too many sacks and struggled with turnovers and accuracy.
What a play from Jalen Milroe!Stepped into a big hit to make this touchdown throw; he bounced right back after initially going down on the play pic.twitter.com/RegAHLoGGd
— SEC Mike September 23, 2023
Milroe’s growth has been evident. He’s a more confident and willing runner and has improved his passing and decision-making with just one turnover in his last 18 quarters. He has shown a better ability to keep his eyes downfield and improved at going through multiple reads and using his eyes to manipulate defenses, and his completion percentage has improved from 63 percent to 66 percent in the second half of the season.
But perhaps where he has improved most is his pocket awareness. Early in the season, Milroe took unnecessary sacks that set a sporadic offense behind the chains. Focusing on stepping up in the pocket and not bailing out too early has been an emphasis in the second half of the season, and his teammates see a noticeable improvement.
“It’s helped a lot,” guard Tyler Booker said. “His pocket awareness is major for us as an offensive line because in order for us to protect, we have to have kind of a feel for where he’s at. My mindset as a guard and an interior offensive linemen, let me stay firm up front so he has somewhere to step up, so just for him to have awareness to step up in the pocket and make those big plays, that’s amazing. That just shows how much better he’s getting, how much better everybody’s getting. That’s what really encouraged me about this team, that’s why I’m so proud of everybody on this team. Like, week-by-week we’re getting better at something.”
Saban has referred to Milroe’s progression this season as “transformative” for the offense and the team. This week, Georgia coach Kirby Smart likened Milroe to Lamar Jackson.
His ascension has garnered the attention and respect of past Alabama quarterbacks, including one who knows something about overcoming adversity: Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Jalen Hurts with some words of support for his Bama Psi Phi brother Jalen Milroe and his thoughts on the upcoming game against UGApic.twitter.com/S6LVuRKjqJ
— Jalen Hurts Highlights November 29, 2023
Booker has a clear message for the offensive line as Alabama prepares for Georgia: remember. Booker remembers the scrutiny around the offensive line throughout the season and the unit for not living up to its standards.
“(Right tackle JC Latham ) and I came out and put out a lot of lofty expectations for us,” Booker said. “We didn’t meet them at first, but we’re meeting them now, and just, let’s keep proving people wrong. Let’s keep changing their mind. Let’s keep playing Alabama football.”
The perceived strength of the team entering the year was anything but through the first part of the season. Still, the numbers show that the offensive line has also improved.
Entering its bye week, Alabama averaged 147.1 rushing yards per game, which was 78th nationally and would be a Saban-era low if it had covered an entire season. In the four games since, Alabama is averaging 238.5 yards per game and has risen to 44th in yards per game for the season (177.6). The yards-per-carry average has increased from 3.7 to 4.9. During the past month, Alabama has allowed only four sacks compared to 35 in the previous eight.
Booker and Latham have been catalysts as leaders on the left and right side, respectively. And two young players beside them are starting to emerge. Jaeden Roberts has been a difference-maker at right guard, particularly in the rush offense, since his unexpected insertion into the lineup at Texas A&M when senior Darrian Dalcourt was a late scratch. Left tackle Kadyn Proctor , a five-star true freshman and Day 1 starter, struggled early but is relying less on assistance from tight ends and running backs in pass protection as he improves weekly. Center Seth McLaughlin mostly has improved his snapping issues during the last several weeks.
The offense’s growth mirrors that of Rees, the former Notre Dame offensive coordinator who steadily has become more comfortable with adding creativity to the playbook and putting players in better positions to succeed, such as wide receiver Kendrick Law in a Deebo Samuel-type role– making contributions from the backfield, at wide receiver or blocking as a tight end. There are also more opportunities for young running backs and receivers such as Jam Miller , Malik Benson and Kobe Prentice .
“Just having a good relationship with him,” running back Roydell Williams said of Rees. “Him getting comfortable, knowing the players, knowing our abilities to do a lot of things, spread the offense out. Having Milroe do what he does, (run), pass, option. Just being able to just get everybody comfortable and on the same page is key for us, and being balanced is the most important thing.”
The coveted offensive balance is coming into form. The third-down conversion percentage has increased by more than 5 percent since the bye week, and Alabama now ranks 12th nationally in third-down conversions (48.7 percent). The red-zone scoring has increased, converting 19 of its past 21 red-zone chances into touchdowns with 20 scores overall after the first 23 red-zone trips resulted in just 13 touchdowns.
The offensive line’s gradual development is the key piece to rounding out Alabama’s offense at the right time, and the early-season struggles have become talking points for motivation.
“What I am reiterating to our offensive line is like, ‘Let’s keep getting better,’” Booker said. “Week by week, we’ve been getting better, and I’m just making sure everybody remembers what people were saying about us in the beginning of the year.”
Conference games against LSU , Ole Miss , Tennessee and Texas A&M shared a common theme: second-half comebacks with Alabama making big plays down the stretch. Alabama has grown into one of the best second-half teams in the country, The win at Auburn offered another example when Jihaad Campbell recovered a muffed punt, giving the ball back to the Tide and putting the comeback in motion.
It’s an element that was absent last season, and it cost Alabama its ultimate goals — a two-loss season that ended without an invitation to the Playoff.
“Our goal is to be a 60-minute, complete team,” defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe said. “If you walk around the facility, you see ‘fourth quarter’ is our motto. It’s something we live by. We always try to push it to another gear. We feel like teams can’t compete with us for a full 60 minutes and that games aren’t just won in the first half or in the first or second quarter or the third quarter. It’s won in the full 60 minutes, and that’s how we look at it.”
The defensive line wasn’t absolved from early questions after a zero-sack performance against Texas but has improved behind Eboigbe, who is enjoying a career season in his final year, and sophomore Tim Keenan III.
The pass rush has been one of the best in the nation since losing to Texas, led by Bednarik Award finalist Dallas Turner and senior Chris Braswell . The back seven of the defense has been strong throughout despite dealing with injuries and lineup reshufflings. And much like the offense, it’s a group that has provided signature moments during this 10-game winning streak.
One of the biggest plays of the season was this strip sack by Braswell that turned into a defensive touchdown as a 13-point halftime deficit against Tennessee turned into a 14-point win.
Big Time Players make BIG Time PlaysCBS pic.twitter.com/oh49AbRlZy
— Alabama Football October 21, 2023
The following game, the SEC West-clinching victory provided another moment. Turner and Arnold, two players who didn’t impact the Texas game as they hoped, made up for it against an elite offense against LSU, combining for this interception that iced the game for Alabama: a halftime tie turned into an emphatic 42-28 win.
Then last week, Alabama’s sideline should have been anything but calm. The Tide trailed rival Auburn 24-20 with less than a minute remaining and faced fourth-and-31. Convert, and the Tide still had everything to play for. A second loss would knock them out of the CFP race completely.
Milroe and Isaiah Bond connected on the improbable throw to the end zone that propelled Alabama to a stunning win.
“Before the play, I got up (from the bench), went like this,” Arnold said, forming an “L” shape with his hand using his first two fingers, which signifies the team motto “L.A.N.K” for Let All Naysayers Know. “And said, ‘Man, I know.’ (Kool-Aid McKinstry) was right there next to me. When (Milroe) stepped up in the pocket, I knew. I knew he was going to complete it, and (Bond) made a great catch.”
Bond expressed the same sentiment — the biggest moment of the season wasn’t overwhelming, and there was a quiet, yet strong confidence that the team would prevail.
“I honestly wasn’t astonished making the catch,” Bond said. “I knew I was a great player, a great receiver. I knew I could make big-time plays so making that play wasn’t a shock to me.”
It was Alabama’s biggest clutch moment yet, consolidating all the season’s growth into one thrilling moment.
It gives the Tide a shot at No. 1 Georgia and possibly more depending on the rest of the season’s landscape. There’s no denying the program that Georgia has become since the last SEC championship showdown between the teams in 2021 — the Bulldogs haven’t lost, including a win over Alabama in the national championship a couple of months later. That was the last meeting between these teams, and now it’s time to write another chapter in a rivalry that’s emerging as one of the biggest in the sport.
“Give everything you’ve got for these five days,” Eboigbe said this week. “Guys are banged up, guys are hurt, but we can get five days of great preparation, great mindset, great attention to detail because it’s something that we want to accomplish. Ever since Week 2, we realized we still have our goals and dreams ahead of us as long as we control what we can control. We feel like this is a prime position that we are in. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. They’re the best right now, and in order to be what we want to be, we’ve got to go through them.”
It will take a season’s best effort to win, and that game is still out there for Alabama, which is still improving.
“We’re not a finished product, and I think that’s a scary thing,” Milroe said. “When we’re all clicking, as a whole football team, it’s a scary sight. We constantly need to improve. Offensively, there are some things we need to clean up. But the biggest thing, with progression, it takes acknowledging where you need to improve at, and we’ve done a good job of that in the locker room.”
(Photo of Jalen Milroe: Kevin C. Cox / )
