Alabama's Offensive Players Have Jalen Milroe's Back After Tough Loss

The Crimson Tide quarterback struggled against Tennessee, but his offensive teammates still have confidence in Milroe.

Oct 19, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) passes the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. / Alan Poizner-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had one of the worst starts of his career in Saturday's loss to Tennessee and has thrown multiple interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed during Monday's press conference that there's nothing physically holding Milroe back and offensive teammates showed support for their quarterback after Tuesday's practice.

Milroe had his lowest completion percentage of the season at 56 percent against the Volunteers and had multiple inaccurate or uncatchable throws. Junior wide receiver Germie Bernard said his position group has to do a better job of helping Milroe out and making plays on the ball.

"We always have J-Mil’s back," Bernard said. "Whether the ball is in our vicinity, we have to be better at making those plays when those opportunities come our way.”

Bernard has told Milroe this week to continue to keep his head up and not listen to the doubters or naysayers so that he doesn't get down on himself. But offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said he has no conerns at all about Milroe's confidence.

"I think none of us coached or played well enough in the game Saturday, and that starts with me," Sheridan said. "Our ability to execute consistently and take advantage of the opportunities that were presented, we obviously fell short in those spots. It’s all of us. We’re all involved in that. Jalen’s an extremely confident player. I have no concerns in that at all. His preparation creates that confidence for him, and he’ll get back to work this week just like the rest of our players will.”

Veteran tight end CJ Dippre talked about how tough the quarterback position is and all the responsibilities that come with it. Multiple Alabama players brought up that despite the two losses, the Crimson Tide still has its ultimate goals ahead of them if they win out, but it starts with Missouri this Saturday, and Dippre is fully backing Milroe.

"We’ve always had each other’s back," Dippre said about Milroe. "Why wouldn’t we have each other’s back now? I don’t think anything’s changed from week in and week out. It’s just about going 1-0 and worrying about Missouri this week.”

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