Six-Touchdown Performances Places Jalen Milroe in Heisman Chase

The Alabama quarterback has 10 total touchdowns over his last two games and has led his team to the SEC West crown.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Alabama looked completely lost at quarterback after a loss to Texas in week two with Jalen Milroe as the starter and rough game at USF the next week with Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner splitting reps. 

Now, after rolling over Kentucky 49-21 and winning the SEC West on Saturday, Milroe is in the hunt for the Heisman trophy. 

Over the last two weeks, Milroe has combined for 10 total touchdowns in the victories over Kentucky and LSU. Against the Wildcats, Milroe became the first player in program history to pass for three touchdowns and rush for three touchdowns in the same game. Alabama head coach Nick Saban joked that Milroe might have taken some Geritol over the bye week. 

"I think his confidence is growing, and the confidence of the players around him has grown,"Saban said on a more serious note after the game. "And our production and performance has sort of mirrored that confidence.”

Milroe went 15-of-22 for 234 yards through the air with another 36 yards on the ground. He did have one interception in the first half. It was also the first game all season that he was not sacked. And this production through the air came without his favorite target as senior wide receiver Jermaine Burton did not make the trip to Kentucky with a sickness. 

Slow starts have been an issue for the Alabama offense, only scoring on its opening drive one time this season against Middle Tennessee. But on Saturday in Lexington, Milroe led the Crimson Tide 80 yards right down the field in 10 plays, capped by his first touchdown of the day on a 26-yard pass to Amari Niblack. 

After a quick three-and-out forced by the defense, Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice for a 40-yard touchdown four plays later. After a turnover forced by Terrion Arnold to give the Tide the ball right back, Milroe snuck it in on the next play, and just like that, Alabama was up 21-0 on the road. 

"Jalen played really well," Saban said. "The offense started the game out setting the tempo of the game extremely well. He played extremely well. The whole idea was the way they play on defense was take what the defense gives, and we nickled and dimed them in the first couple games, and then we hit a couple big plays.”

As his teammate and close friend, Arnold said the biggest difference in Milroe the last few weeks has been simple– he's running more. 

"Ultimately, when things fail and you have nowhere else to go, you have a God-given ability that other people can’t do," Arnold said. "I feel like it’s hard to contain him.”

Arnold said Milroe is probably the fastest player on the team outside of himself and wide receiver Isaiah Bond. 

With some SEC games still to be played later on in the day that could change the statistic, Milroe is currently tied with Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins for first in the conference in rushing touchdowns with 12 apiece. Milroe has seven rushing touchdowns over the last two games. 

Part of it has been decision-making, but offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has also called more designed runs for his quarterback. 

"Experience is the best teacher," Milroe said. "So the more reps I get, the more opportunities I have. I think I’m seeing everything much better. But then again, I’ve got to improve and get better because I’m not a finished product. I’ve still got to learn and grow.”

Milroe and the offense didn't let off the pedal after a strong start. A muffed punt on special teams and some defensive penalties allowed Kentucky to stick around for a while. But after the Wildcats scored on the opening drive of the second half, Milroe responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive that included a 30-yard completion to Prentice on a third-and-17. 

The Alabama quarterback has been cool under pressure on third down the last two games. Against LSU and Kentucky, the Crimson Tide has combined to convert 18 of its last 25 third-down attempts for a 72 percent success rate. 

His prettiest play of the game may have been in the second quarter when Milroe rolled right to avoid pressure, drawing the eyes of the defenders. He was able to float the ball to a wide-open Roydell Williams, who took it the rest of the way to the end zone.

Milroe Magic 🪄@JalenMilroe ➡️ @RoydellW_6

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/vZ1xT5AJr7

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 11, 2023

"It's kind of like that Bryce [Young] effect," Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker said. "You've got to keep holding your blocks, because you never know what [Milroe] can do. I'm very glad to have him on our team, and just very proud of the way he's been playing as of late. We've just got to keep protecting and giving him time so he can continue to be who he is."

But was a six-touchdown performance good enough for the quarterback himself to feel satisfied by it? No. 

"I’m real frustrated," Milroe said after the game. "I got a lot of things I’ve got to fix and get better at. 

"Missed a couple things down the field. Missed some balls I shouldn’t be missing. I hold myself to a high standard, so I’ve gotta improve and fix some things.”

That's the type of hunger that drives Milroe– always humble, always wanting to get better. Arnold said that Milroe will be in the weight room at 4:30 a.m. and be one of the last people to leave the team facility at night after watching film. 

"How people tell those stories about Kobe Bryant, I think people will tell those stories about Jalen Milroe. You just see all the hard work paying off. And he’s been doing this since freshman year. So I’m just glad to see him out there executing and having fun with it.”

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