Kirk Herbstreit breaks down what transition to Tommy Rees, Jalen Milroe means vs Texas

Jalen Milroe was the star of Alabama‘s offense during the Crimson Tide’s 56-7 season-opening victory against Middle Tennessee State.

Scoring five touchdowns and leading the team in both passing and rushing yards, we’ve only scratched the surface with how this Alabama team will pan out — especially heading into Week 2 vs. Texas.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, who will be on the call Saturday night for the network in Tuscaloosa, believes there are still a ton of question marks surrounding new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and his offense.

“[Milroe], he showed the arm strength to go downfield. I think a lot of attention has been on that position,” Herbstreit said on a media conference call. “But for me, I’m more interested in Tommy Rees and what he’s going to bring, what Nick Saban’s going to allow him to do offensively. 

“Then the offensive skill. To me, you lost what I would say is one of the most dynamic playmakers in Jahmyr Gibbs last year, not only as a runner, but as a receiver. How are they going to do in the backfield? Can guys catch the ball out of the backfield? These receivers now have some experience. We all know that they took a pretty big step back from where they were when they had those four receivers that were all first rounders.”

While Milroe led the rushing attack with seven carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns, the Crimson Tide totaled 205 rushing yards on the afternoon, good for 5.1 yards per attempt and totaled five scores on the ground, though two of those scores came from backup quarterbacks.

In the passing game, Isaiah Bond emerged as Milroe’s top target, finishing the contest with 76 receiving yards on five receptions along with one touchdown. Jermaine Burton was the second-leading receiver with three receptions for 62 yards that included a 48-yard touchdown reception. Tight end Amari Niblack also hauled in a couple of balls for 49 yards and a score as well.

More production throughout the group is needed for Herbstreit to write home about Sabans’ receiving corps this season, especially since the battle against the Longhorns is looming.

“So, they appeared on paper and they looked good last week, but here’s their first big test,” Herbstreit said of Texas. “You’re going to have to make some big plays in the pass game, and we’re all going to watch the quarterback. But for me, I want to see those backs, and I want to see how much those receivers have improved.”

Kickoff between the Crimson Tide and Longhorns is set for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN. Alabama is a seven-point favorite heading into the matchup, per Vegas Insider.