Nick Saban issues update on Bryce Young injury following Alabama's win over Arkansas

The news on Bryce Young‘s injury will leave Alabama fans waiting with bated breath following a real scare in a 49-26 win over No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner exited the game in the second quarter after experiencing shoulder pain that forced him into the team’s injury tent early in the second quarter. Young, clearly frustrated on the sideline after tossing his helmet, was reportedly quite verbal, screaming on the sidelines according to CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell.

He did not return.

“Well you know what, what I’d like to talk about is our team,” coach Nick Saban told CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell following the game. “Our team just won a game on the road. Wasn’t pretty all the time, but they made plays when they had to make them. We love Bryce. Bryce has got a sprained shoulder. Hopefully we’ll get some diagnosis on him and see how he goes.

“But what about the game? What about the team? What about the players who played the game?”

Young did not appear to take a hit on the play prior to his departure.

The play in question was a third-down throw over the middle of the field to receiver Traeshon Holden. The pass was broken up, but CBS cameras panned to Young following the play, showing him making a face, seemingly in pain despite having a clean pocket and no sign of contact.

As he reached the sideline, Young slammed his helmet to the ground before entering the team’s injury tent.

Bryce Young injury cleared way for Jalen Milroe

Bryce Young’s injury didn’t immediately impact the Crimson Tide, who were up 14-0 on the Razorbacks when he departed.

Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe, a redshirt freshman, entered the game in place of the injured Young and quickly led Alabama to back-to-back touchdown drives to extend the lead to 28-0.

The Razorbacks built some momentum just prior to halftime and carried it through after halftime, scoring 23 unanswered spanning the two halves to cut the deficit against the Crimson Tide to just five points.

But Milroe answered. A 77-yard run by the backup quarterback on third-and-15 from deep in Alabama territory when Arkansas had all the momentum finally allowed the Crimson Tide to take control again.

His big run set up a 3-yard rushing touchdown by tailback Jase McClellan, extending the lead back out to double-digits. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs followed it up with a terrific fourth-quarter, finishing the game with 18 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

That was what Saban wanted to talk about after the game.

“I mean Jahmyr Gibbs played great, made some big runs,” Saban said. “Quarterback went in the game and made some plays. I mean the defense made some plays. We made some horrible mistakes on special teams, but we overcame it but there’s a lot we can learn from this game today and hopefully our team will get better because of it.”

Milroe, a former four-star prospect in the 2021 class, finished the game 4-of-9 passing for 65 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, allowing Alabama to stay unbeaten while scoring a road win against a ranked opponent. Should Young’s injury keep him out for an extended period of time, the Crimson Tide should have some confidence in Milroe going forward.