Paul Finebaum expresses concern for Alabama if Jalen Milroe starts against Tennessee
Alabama was without star quarterback Bryce Young on Saturday against Texas A&M, leaving backup Jalen Milroe to lead the charge. Milroe and the Crimson Tide escaped with a 24-20 victory, and a tough test against a surging Tennessee team now awaits.
Milroe completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts against Texas A&M, throwing for 111 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also added 83 yards on the ground behind 17 attempts.
Overall, Milroe had a solid showing on paper while leading Alabama’s offense. But the performance also concerns SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum, at least when previewing the looming matchup against Tennessee. Finebaum joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday, where he expressed some serious concern for Alabama if it is indeed Milroe leading the offense again on Saturday after watching this past weekend’s game against Texas A&M.
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“We buried the lead. The story isn’t about Jimbo Fisher. The story is Alabama,” Finebaum said . “And you have to be concerned. Maybe we got led into a false sense of security with Milroe. But it’s hard to have a worse several series of downs than he did, and that was at home. So depending on the Bryce Young situation is, if he doesn’t play in the game Saturday Alabama is going to be in serious and severe trouble.”
Young or Milroe, Finebaum is concerned about Alabama against Tennessee
Finebaum is clearly concerned about Alabama if it’s Milroe under center against Tennessee, but his concerns don’t stop there. Even if Bryce Young is able to suit up on Saturday, Finebaum wonders just how healthy he will truly be. If Young is limited in any fashion against the high-powered Vols offense, Alabama could be in trouble.
“I think it’s a little early to make predictions in terms of what I just said about the quarterback situation, because that is the key,” said Finebaum. “If Bryce Young is healthy and can play well – and I don’t think he can. And this is not my opinion, this is based on an interview we did last week with Greg McElroy. I thought he laid out the injury about as well as eloquently and distinctly as anyone in the country and it makes me wonder even if Bryce plays, what is his effectiveness going to be.”
Greg McElroy went on to say that he fully expects Young to be on the field and playing for Alabama against Tennessee on Saturday. But it’s only Monday, so there is a lot of time for that decision to be officially made. But regardless, Finebaum wasn’t shy about expressing his concerns.
Alabama dropped to No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25 poll after Week 6, while Tennessee rose up to No. 6. The matchup is a very anticipated one, and it could have large ramifications at season’s end.