Alabama QB change: Crimson Tide to start Tyler Buchner in USF game

Nick Saban turns to Tyler Buchner to revive Alabama's offensive fortunes as the 1-1 Crimson Tide roll into USF on Saturday

Tyler Buchner is slated to start at quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide in Saturday's game against USF, replacing Jalen Milroe, who started the first two games of the season.

"He's a very bright guy," head coach Nick Saban said of the change on his pre-game radio show. 

"He's very athletic. He makes good decisions. He makes quick decisions. He gets the ball out of his hand. He's accurate with the ball. Hopefully we'll be able to have a little more diversity in what we'll do, and he'll offer us the opportunity to be able to execute those things."

Saban stressed that Alabama's offensive struggles don't come down to just the quarterback position, and require a full team effort by everyone on the field.

"But, again, it's not just about the quarterback. It's about 11 guys on offense doing things the way they need to do it, whether we've got to protect better in pass protection, whether we got to get open better, whether we got to make good decisions at that position and distribute the ball more like a point guard in basketball, or whatever. All those things, I think, are important to playing more efficient and effectively on offense."

Milroe passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns against Texas last weekend, but was good for under 52 percent of his pass attempts and threw two interceptions.

Buchner a notable Alabama transfer

Buchner joined Alabama as a transfer from Notre Dame this offseason and competed with Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson for the starting position, losing out to Milroe during the fall camp period.

Buchner was short on playing time and opportunity at Notre Dame, throwing just 83 total passes, a small sample size to be sure, and in that time passed for three touchdowns and five interceptions.

He showed some real upside on his return from a shoulder injury to close out the season, earning MVP honors in Notre Dame's win over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, a 45-38 shootout victory for the Fighting Irish.

Buchner hit around 54 percent of his throws in that game, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more, but also tossing three interceptions.

He never went over 56 percent completion in his three appearances for the Irish, and he went 18 of 32 with no scores and two interceptions in a home loss to Marshall.

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