Sam Pittman complimentary of Jalen Milroe's deep ball ability

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been inconsistent this season, but he seems to be getting better and better as the year goes along.

The redshirt sophomore has been connecting on more big plays as of late, and he threw for a career-high 321 yards this past Saturday in a win over Texas A&M.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks have the task of trying to slow down Jalen Milroe on Saturday. Pittman spoke earlier this week about how impressed he is with the Alabama quarterback, particularly his deep ball.

“Milroe is great at throwing the deep ball. I mean he is,” Pittman said. “I’m not saying Milroe can’t make every throw. I’m saying he’s fantastic at the deep ball.”

For Alabama, everything starts with the running game.

On the year, the Crimson Tide have 231 rushing attempts, compared to 141 pass attempts. Jalen Milroe is a part of the running game, too. But if you commit too many defenders to stop the run, he can beat you over the top.

Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton has emerged as Milroe’s top target. The senior has a team-high 386 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season. He is averaging nearly 23 yards per catch.

“They put some quarterback sweeps in,” Pittman said. “When you go back and look at the South Florida game, when Milroe didn’t start, vs. now, yes, they’re a run-first team, including using him. And they’re throwing the long ball and connecting. Burton’s a great 1-on-1 guy to throw it to.”

Nick Saban raves about development of Jalen Milroe

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman isn’t the only coach impressed with the way Jalen Milroe has played as of late.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban raved about his quarterback during his weekly segment with Pat McAfee on Thursday.

“I think his confidence, relationships and understanding with his coaches of exactly what he needs to do as a player has gone way up. And I think that is what has helped his performance. I mean the guy is a talented guy. He can throw the ball accurately down the field. He’s a really athlete. He can extend plays, he can make plays with his feet. So, this progression that we kind of needed for him to just play quarterback has been really, really exponentially improving week-by-week,” Saban said.

Saban noted Milroe’s performance passing against Texas A&M as a notable progression.

Milroe went 21-of-33 for 321 yards and three touchdowns with an interception against the Aggies. He couldn’t add much with his legs, as the Aggies front harassed him all game and sacked him plenty.

“People thought we couldn’t throw the ball and he threw for over 300 yards last week, which we knew we were going to have to do against A&M because of their front, and he did a good job of that. So, continuing his development in all these areas, I think, is really, really important. And he’s been great about it. He’s had a great attitude about it,” Saban said.