Jalen Milroe Cements Himself in Heisman Conversation with 'Exceptional' Performance in Win over Georgia

The Alabama quarterback accounted for four total touchdowns and 491 yards, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter to once again beat the Bulldogs.

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— There's still a lot of season left to be played and talented players all across the country, but Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe delivered a Heisman-worthy performance to lead the Crimson Tide to an upset victory over No. 2 Georgia, 41-34.

Milroe threw for 374 yards with two passing touchdowns and added another 117 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. He became the first player in AP Poll history with 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns against a top-five opponent.

"He was, I think, exceptional," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game.

Alabama led by as many as 28 and had an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but quickly the Crimson Tide found itself trailing at home with just over two minutes to go. Georgia scored on a one-play 67-yard drive to take its first lead with 2:31 left, and Milroe and freshman phenom Ryan Williams answered right back with a 75-yard touchdown of their own to put the Tide up 41-34 after the two-point conversion.

HE IS HIM.🤫@Ryanwms1

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— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 29, 2024

It was a perfect throw by Milroe to his talented wide receiver. It settled the storm, gave the Tide the victory and gave Milroe an early-season highlight for his potential Heisman reel come December.

"He put the ball where he needed to," DeBoer said. "It’s one of the areas I felt that he really improved. That throw and the location of that throw— that was intentional. I really will say that strongly. That’s one of the areas that we worked on."

One of the things DeBoer was most pleased with that jumped out on the stat sheet after the game was Milroe's completion percentage at 82 percent. The Alabama quarterback was 27 for 33, which was by far his most attempts on the season, yet he finished with the second-highest completion percentage of any start in his career.

Williams and Milroe have developed quite the connection through four games. It was his fifth touchdown from Milroe through four games, and he leads the team in receiving with 16 receptions and 462 yards for an average of 28.8 yards per catch. Williams said after the game that he often doesn't even have to signal to Milroe that he's open.

"He knows that four plus two equals six," Williams said.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have not lost in the regular season in over three years. Georgia consistently has one of the top defenses in the country under Smart and had not allowed a touchdown all season coming into Thursday night's game. Milroe lead the Tide right down the field on the opening possession and capped the drive with a rushing touchdown, which would be the first of his four scores on the night.

Smart said their goal was to force Milroe to throw in the red zone in order to beat them. But they didn't have to. Milroe would just beat them with his legs.

"He ran around us," Smart said after the game. "We had our best player on him on fourth-and-1, and he outran him to the sideline, and then turned up and scored. He ran outside of a blitz defense that we got more people than they can block in there, and they ran up what we call a moon sweep outside. He's a really good football player. He's a really good football player. So if you could just stop him and not worry about him throwing, I think you could do it. But when he's throwing it well and they're catching it more, really hard to stop.”

👀👀👀@JalenMilroe

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— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 29, 2024

Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan designed a phenomenal game plan for Milroe, especially to start out the game. The Crimson Tide scored on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead while Milroe picked apart the defense, completing his first 11 passes. The offense stalled throughout the middle of the game and into the fourth quarter, but Milroe delivered when his team needed him most.

The Alabama quarterback was humble as always with the media after the game, but took a moment on Saban Field in front of the student section immediately following the conclusion of the game to soak in the moment.

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— Katie Windham (@katiewindham_) September 29, 2024

"I have a great coaching staff that believes in me. I have teammates that believe in me, and that’s all that matter," Milroe said. "I try to do my best. Any play call that’s asked of me, just try to maximize that play call as much as possible and be the best version of myself each and every day. I have the opportunity to snap a ball at the University of Alabama." 

Milroe now has 18 total touchdowns through four games and is on pace for 72 through the regular season alone. He has at least two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in all four of the Crimson Tide's games this season.

His passing and rushing performance on Saturday's big stage against the Bulldogs signified that he's taken the next step in his development and is a frontrunner for the Heisman trophy. He finished sixth in Heisman voting last season and could very well find himself back in New York City this December.

"He took a next step," DeBoer said. "Guys don’t always have to be wide open right now. You saw him throwing guys open. And the receivers anticipating that, ‘Hey, I’m gonna get the ball.’ And that’s progress in our passing game. If we keep doing those things, we’re going to be tough to defend.”

See also: Everything Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart Said After Falling to Alabama

Notebook: Fourth-Down Failures almost Costly for Alabama in Close Win over Georgia