Film Room: Breaking Down Jalen Milroe’s Start Against Middle Tennessee

Milroe’s five total touchdowns led Alabama to a season-opening win over the Blue Raiders.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe looked like a completely different player on Saturday night against Middle Tennessee.

After struggling to the tune of three turnovers in his first career start against Texas A&M last year, Milroe looked composed and confident in his first impression of 2023-24 — looking to take over the signal-calling duties after the departure of Bryce Young.

While setting a Crimson Tide record with three passing and two rushing touchdowns, Milroe also left room for improvement.

Let’s get into the positives and negatives of Milroe’s season-opening performance — roll the footage.

Composure in the Pocket

One of Milroe’s biggest negatives last year on a mock NFL draft report would have been his tendency to escape the pocket as soon as possible. Rather than going through his reads and delivering a throw, Milroe oftentimes decided to run before he necessarily needed to.

On Saturday night, that wasn’t the case. Unlike in previous appearances, Milroe looked eager to throw the football — using his legs as a last resort. That’s all because of comfort and experience — it’s obvious that he has made huge progress in practices since the end of last season.

This play seems simple on the surface. But it's 3rd and 7 on the first possession of the game — a game in which Milroe wasn't guaranteed anything. A couple short, empty drives early on and a different quarterback may have come into the game.

Instead, Milroe calmly works his feet and delivers a great ball outside the numbers to Isaiah Bond, who shows the defender what Alabama wants its idea to be this season.

The drive ended in a touchdown.

Once again, nothing special here — but the little things are so important. Milroe does a nice job handling a poor snap from Seth McLaughlin and quickly sets his feet before putting the ball right where it needed to be.

A season ago, Milroe probably would have tried to just scramble — that's growth.

Once more, Milroe quickly sets his feet and throws it across his body — right where it needed to be:

Making the Most Out of Mayhem

Probably Milroe's best characteristic is making something out of nothing. That was something that he has always done well — including last year's games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.

He showed plenty more of it on Saturday against the Blue Raiders, beginning with what was probably the most impressive play of the night:

There are a few impressive things about this touchdown run. First off — most players are jumping on that ball to prevent a potential turnover. Next, Milroe shows off his speed — navigating around a couple of players before putting his hand in the dirt and making his way to the end zone.

Milroe obviously played a lot of backyard football as a kid. When a play breaks down, he immediately relies on his instincts and looks for a way to score.

There's nothing going here for Alabama. It's third and long, and the pass protection breaks down — with Milroe, the play isn't over unless he's on the ground.

Rather than a sack and a punt, it's a 25-yard gain.

Passes Into Dangerous Areas

Before we finish on a high note, let's first address where Milroe still needs to grow. Turnovers were a big point of emphasis for him during the offseason and fall camp — he got away with a couple of questionable decisions on Saturday night.

Here, it's a good defensive play but it's still not a pass that Milroe should try to make. If No. 30 gets his hands around that ball, it's probably going the other way for a touchdown.

Another near-costly decision here for Milroe. In no situation should he be forcing a ball into that tight of coverage. He talked postgame a lot about going into each play with a clear mind — but this is one he definitely wants back.

An Improved Deep Ball

Milroe has a cannon of an arm. Just based off arm talent alone, he's up there with the best in the country. It's one thing to be able to throw the ball far — it's another to do it accurately.

On Saturday night, Milroe threw three touchdowns — all were deep throws of 29, 47 and 48 yards.

That will play.

Overview

Jalen Milroe showed improvements in just about every aspect of his game on Saturday night. The key for him this week against Texas and moving forward will be consistency.

If he continues to perform like he did against Middle Tennessee, Milroe has every opportunity and all of the ability to be the next great quarterback for the Crimson Tide.

See Also:

In the Huddle with Hannon: Biggest Takeaways from No. 4 Alabama’s Dominant Win Over Middle Tennessee

The Play That Set the Tone for Alabama's Physicality in Win over Middle Tennessee

Now Everyone Knows Why Nick Saban Was Smiling So Much: All Things CW