Jalen Milroe on Texas loss: 'I see every game as a learning experience'

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe had an unsteady start to the 2023 season. That included a difficult home loss against the Texas Longhorns that ended up being Alabama’s only regular season loss.

That loss is still a game that Milroe knows he can learn from and continue to improve as a player moving forward.

“I see every game as a learning experience,” Jalen Milroe said. “No matter if it’s my best game, worst game, I see every game as a learning experience. And every game you might want that play back. ‘Agh, I want that play back. Man, I wish.’ It’s all a part of it, and with your journey, you can always reflect and say, ‘Hey, what are some things we did well at, some things we didn’t do as great at.'”

In the 34-24 loss to Texas, Jalen Milroe completed 14 out of 27 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran for 44 yards on 15 carries. In the process, he was outshined by Texas’ Quinn Ewers and ended up being benched for the USF game the next week before earning his job back.

After that benching, Milroe came back better than he was before and finished the season strong as he learned from those difficult games.

“So, narrowing it down to that focus, that’s gonna uplift you. That’s gonna get you through tough times. That’s gonna get you through anything on your journey and past experiences,” Milroe said. “So, what a great opportunity to learn and grow from that game, especially playing with a team that played in the Playoff and played at a high level. So, it was just a great opportunity to just learn.”

Both Alabama and Texas ended up being excellent in 2023, with the two going 11-1 in the regular season and winning their respective conference championships. That led to both teams making the College Football Playoff, where they lost in the first round preventing a rematch in the championship game.

Now, Alabama and Texas share a conference. However, they’re not scheduled to play in 2024 unless the two find a way to meet in the postseason.

Kalen DeBoer on how he can help maximize Jalen Milroe

New Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is known for his work with quarterbacks in the past. Now, he’s looking to maximize Jalen Milroe.

“I mean, it’s Jalen, but it’s also the guys around him. I think our system, when you’ve done it for 25 years especially when you’re at a smaller college level, the FCS level, Southern Illinois [and] Eastern Michigan, you’re adjusting to the guys that you have. The offensive volume of different things you’ve done, of course, it starts with your quarterback. I remember running G option back in 2002, and the quarterback had 25 carries a game sometimes. And then, in the years after that, there was a little more passing,” DeBoer said.

“You just adjust to your personnel, and that’s all built within. I’ve got smart people that I can work with on that offensive staff, like Brian Ellis, a coordinator coming from Georgia Southern, who can see things from a quarterback standpoint. So, [with] us all being in a room, we can make sure we’re really guiding and not have too many voices in Jalen’s ear. But also just making sure we’re making good decisions and continue to formulate a plan around him [and] also the other personnel that he has surrounding him.”