Jalen Milroe explains how he used benching as motivation for remarkable turnaround

It’s been a remarkable run for Alabama, since quarterback Jalen Milroe took over and turned the Crimson Tide’s season around.

For the first couple weeks of the season, it looked like Alabama didn’t know who they wanted to play quarterback. Tyler Buchner, Ty Simpson and Milroe all saw the field. However, it was Milroe who separated himself and grew into the position.

Speaking with ESPN’s Chris Low, Milroe explained how it wasn’t a one man job. All of his teammates helped get Alabama to the point where they have a shot at the College Football Playoff this weekend.

“It wasn’t just me. It was this whole team that everybody kicked to the side,” Milroe said. “But I also knew that if we were going to get to where we all wanted to get to, I had to play to a different standard. I had to look in the mirror and say, ‘How can I improve? How can I get better?’ And not just so I could win the position back. It wasn’t about me. It was about being there for everybody else around me, being the best version of me.”

“It was bigger than me. If I wasn’t good enough, then give somebody else a shot. I looked at it as an experiment, but through it all, I was going to be a good teammate.”

Alas, Milroe recognizes that no matter what, he had to win in Tuscaloosa. Once he realized the standard he had to play up to, everything changed.

“At the end of the day, it’s about winning,” Milroe added. “You come to Alabama, and that standard never changes, whether you’re the starting quarterback, backup quarterback or on the scout team.”

Jalen Milroe ended his regular season with 2,526 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. He also ran for 439 yards and another 12 touchdowns on the ground. Nick Saban made sure to point out that the Crimson Tide wouldn’t have come nearly as far without his play.

“Sometimes you’ve got to have something bad happen to figure it all out,” Saban said, ahead of the SEC title game. “After the Texas game, when we took him out, it was a real thunderbolt or whatever you want to call it, that if you want to be our quarterback, you have to be our point guard. He’s done that, and as he’s gotten better, so has our team. … We wouldn’t be here without his transformation.”

Jalen Milroe and Alabama will be looking to get a victory over Georgia this weekend, and then it’s up to the College Football Playoff committee.