Alabama will 'constantly evaluate' starting QB spot, Saban says
Nick Saban said he thought about making a change at quarterback in Alabama’s loss to Texas on Saturday before Jalen Milroe led a scoring drive late in the third quarter. With Milroe throwing two interceptions in the Week 2 loss, Saban said Wednesday that he will continue to evaluate the Crimson Tide’s quarterback situation as the team prepares for South Florida.
During the SEC coaches media teleconference, Saban was asked what kind of energy as well as “competition potentially for the starting job” he has seen this week on the practice field.
“Well, we evaluate every position every week, and if guys want security in their position, they need to play well,” Saban said. “Everybody on our team knows that. And I think everybody’s responded in a positive way to try to get better and to improve, and we’ll constantly evaluate that position as we do every other position.”
Milroe has started the first two games of Alabama’s 2023 season and has thrown for 449 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 60 percent (27-45) of his passes. One of the top athletes on the Tide’s roster, Milroe has also rushed for 92 yards and a pair of scores on 22 attempts. He was the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his performance versus Middle Tennessee, but Milroe didn’t see the same success against the Horns.
Milroe was 14-of-27 for 255 yards, two touchdowns two interceptions. He was able to hit on a number of deep shots, including a pair of touchdowns that were wiped away by penalties, but there were more mistakes in Week 2 than in Week 1, including the two interceptions.
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Against Texas, Milroe was the only quarterback that saw the field, but as Saban has said many times this summer, competition will continue. In the first game against MTSU, Tyler Buchner was the first player off the bench, followed by Ty Simpson later in the contest. Buchner joined the Tide in late May after transferring from Notre Dame and took time to learn the UA offense after choosing to reunite with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama’s depth chart still has an or between four quarterbacks for the starting job, and photos released by UA this week showed Buchner handing the ball off to Jase McClellan, the Tide’s No. 1 running back. On Monday, Saban was asked about the progress Buchner has made.
“He played really well in the last scrimmage, and he’s done well in practice,” said Saban of Buchner on Monday. “So we feel really good about how he’s continued to improve and develop and the confidence in what he’s doing and have a good feeling around the teammates and receivers and all that type of thing.”
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