Nick Saban praises Jalen Milroe after Week 1 start, no crystal ball for Week 2

Alabama walked right through Middle Tennessee 56-7 as expected, and Jalen Milroe shined in his first start as the guy for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban couldn’t say enough about Milroe’s performance. He appreciated the consistency on the practice field and how it translated to an actual game situation and expects his new QB1 to build on this performance moving forward.

“I think Jalen did a good job,” Saban said of Milroe’s performance postgame. “I think he’s had a good fall camp. I thought he played well in both scrimmages. I think he’s more confident. He’s doing a good job in the passing game. His athleticism helps him.”

Despite Milroe showcasing a five-touchdown performance in the season-opener, Saban wasn’t willing to provide any prediction on how he’ll perform during Week 2’s marquee matchup against No. 11 Texas.

“I don’t really know. I mean, I love him. I think he’s doing well. He’s working hard to try and improve. He’s a good competitor. He’s doing everything he can to play his best. But this is a Coke bottle, it’s not a crystal ball. It’s hard to know,” Saban said, grabbing the bottle of Coke that traditionally sits on his press conference podium.

"This is a Coke bottle. It's not a crystal ball." – Nick Saban when asked how Jalen Milroe's performance against MTSU will help him next week against Texas and beyond. #Alabama #RollTide #CFB @CocaCola pic.twitter.com/5GOJTbnye9

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 3, 2023

In terms of his performance, Saban pointed out the touchdown Milroe scored on a fumbled snap, where Milroe remained calm, made the correct decision and scrambled his way out of trouble and into the endzone for a touchdown.

“He’s a threat to pull the ball on his own plays, which he scored a touchdown on that. And I thought he threw the ball effectively,” Saban said. “So I thought he played well. … I think as he continues to develop and gain experience he’s going to play better and better. But I thought he played well tonight.”

Ultimately, Milroe finished the game completing 13-of-18 passes for 194 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also provided seven carries for 48 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground, including his miraculous scramble, which went for 25 yards.

Alabama ended up winning big, and Milroe was the star of the show for the Crimson Tide. Isaiah Bond and Jermaine Burton were responsible for 138 of his 194 passing yards and Milroe found each of his top targets for touchdowns.

No. 4 Alabama hosts the Longhorns on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The highly-anticipated matchup is a rematch of last season, where the Crimson Tide escaped an ailing Texas team with a 20-19 victory in Austin. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is now healthy, and is looking to give Alabama its best shot before it moves to the SEC next offseason.