Jalen Milroe Can't Deliver in Biggest Moments for Alabama in Loss to Tennessee

Jalen Milroe threw multiple interceptions for the second straight game and had one of his worst performances as a starter.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) throws the ball during an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. / Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— In his first outing as a starting quarterback inside Neyland Stadium, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled to find his footing throughout the game. This, in part, led to No. 11 Tennessee dealing the No. 7 Crimson Tide its second loss of the season and second consecutive defeat in Knoxville.

From the standpoint of the overarching Third Saturday in October rivalry picture, the Volunteers (6-1, 3-1 SEC) have now won two of the last three editions of the game after going winless from 2007-21. As a whole, the offensive unit had its share of difficulties Saturday in the 24-17 defeat.

"I gotta take full ownership of that," Milroe said. "When it comes to communication up front, communication to the guys around, I gotta do better on my end... [That's] something I acknowledged as we were playing, so it's all about building, it's all about regrouping and acknowledging where we were not our best at today."

Milroe went 25-for-45 passing for 239 yards, to go with one touchdown and two interceptions. The second interception was the game-sealer, finding the arms of Will Brooks after the Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2 SEC) got the ball back with 90 seconds left following Tennessee's final field goal. The first pick occurred way back in the opening quarter. Alabama had driven down to the Volunteers' three-yard line, and Milroe was intercepted in the end zone by Jermod McCoy.

He leaned heavily on freshman wideout Ryan Williams, whose second-quarter touchdown catch served as Milroe's lone touchdown pass in the game. Williams had eight catches but was thrown to 18 times. No other player was targeted more than six times. Milroe was adamant that accuracy is an item on which he can continue to get better.

"Just giving our guys a chance, we harp on giving our guys a chance," he said. His issues started from the beginning of the contest, something he was not unaware of. "That was a great crowd that we just played in front of... That's on us to control our controllables, understand our assignments, understanding our snap count, understanding what we need to do so that we can move forward on playing games like this... Now we can understand what it takes to win games like this."

One particular moment late stood out. After a personal foul against wideout Kendrick Law, the Crimson Tide had a fourth-and-22 from its own 18 down by four points with one minute and 55 seconds to go in the final quarter. The ensuing play was a screen pass to tailback Justice Haynes that went for 13 yards, well short of the line to gain. That was not the official death knell on Alabama's chances, but it far from helped matters. Milroe dismissed any notion that he has hard feelings about the buildup to that play call. He further owned up to snap count problems.

"It's important for the quarterback to understand and communicate to them [teammates] what we need to do," he said. "If I could make the job easier for [center] Parker {Brailsford], that's what I need to do, and for our offensive line as a whole... We play this game with a lot of emotion. A lot is poured into when we play the game that we love. I trust K-Law. I trust him. I appreciate him for his grind, his work ethic, who he is as a person. Unfortunate situation... It's all about just maximizing every opportunity we have when we're on the field as an offense."

Head coach Kalen DeBoer did not pin the defeat on the fourth-and-long situation. He instead attributed his team's struggles to both sides not playing well together.

"[We] can't bring it together," he said. "One side of the ball has highlighted moments, and the other side stumbles. Some missed opportunities. You try to look inward after every game, and we've gotta continue to do the same."

That late play, and the interception that followed, were not the sole contributor to the Alabama loss. The Volunteers, led by the big arm of Nico Iamaleava, adjusted in the second half. Iamaleava was aided by his running game, which was potent all along but came to life in the closing 30 minutes. He completed 14 passes in 27 attempts with one touchdown and one interception. The halftime score was 7-0 Alabama, and the offense couldn't capitalize on three Volunteer turnovers. A litany of penalties (15, two short of the mark set in this game two years ago) did the Crimson Tide no favors.

Wide receiver Germie Bernard, who caught all five of his targets to finish just one yard behind Williams on the stat sheet, was supportive of Milroe. Bernard expressed confidence in his new quarterback- the two are in their first season together as a tandem after Bernard's transfer from Washington.

"He's been through adversity himself. He knows how to lead," Bernard said. "He's been behind great quarterbacks. He's seen Bryce Young do it. I'm just gonna continue to believe in him and trust in him because I know he can get it done... As long as we continue to have his back, that's what it's gonna take."

Milroe recorded 142 of his passing yards at the half. He only produced 11 rushing yards even though his legs are an integral part of his game. His performance, whatever it may be attributed to, was far from his best. He wants to keep an optimistic mindset and stay even keeled.

"You can't be too high, can't be too low," he said. "Especially with playing the game of football. There's gonna be a lot of great moments, there's gonna be a lot of bad moments... It's all about just leaning on the guys that you go to war with." When all was said and done, the game was Milroe's second straight game with more than one interception. The only time he did that in 2023 was in the September home loss to Texas.

The 2022 and 2024 Alabama-Tennessee rivalry games were semantically different, as were the starting Crimson Tide signal callers. The results, however, were not. As can happen regardless of whom a given team is playing against, the quarterback's performance in 2024 was not indicative of his usual form, and his team fell short in the game.