Can Jalen Milroe replicate last season's success against LSU?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Last season, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had a field day against LSU.
The early-November clash was one of the best games of Milroe’s career. In the 42-28 win, he completed 15-of-23 passes for 219 yards, but it was his ability on the ground that caught everyone’s eyes. On 20 carries, Milroe amassed 155 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, looking unstoppable throughout the entire game.
Milroe is as dual-threat as they come, having established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in all of college football. He’s at his best when he uses his legs, like when he ran for 117 yards in Alabama’s signature win over Georgia earlier this year.
Recently though, Milroe hasn’t been as effective on the ground. He hasn’t topped 50 yards rushing in a game since that matchup with Georgia. However, knowing how effective he was on the ground against LSU a season ago, it’ll be paramount that he finds success in that area this weekend.
“It’s hard for any defense to go against a running quarterback,” Milroe said after Alabama’s Tuesday practice. “There’s so many things that they have to look at when it comes to stopping a quarterback who can run and pass the football, that’s hard for any defense to go against. No matter if it’s LSU, no matter who the opponent is, it’s hard for the defense to stop the element of the pass and run.”
This season has shown that defending a mobile quarterback wasn’t just hard for LSU’s defense a season ago, but it’s once again a blueprint for the 2024 Tigers.
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Two weeks ago, when LSU lost to Texas A&M, Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed propelled the Texas A&M offense with nine carries for 62 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. LSU had extreme difficulties stopping him, as they did Milroe a season ago.
“I’m proud of him. That’s definitely a great performance on his end. Being prepared to go in and play,” Milroe said of Reed’s performance. “He did a really good job of running the football in the game. He was effective against their defense. I’m proud of his performance and how he played, just his grit and determination and just leading the guys for a win. That’s a hard opponent to play against in LSU and just stepping in and leading the guys, and getting everyone on the same page to win the football game. That’s definitely something I acknowledged watching the game.”
If Milroe can get back to his rushing success, Alabama has a very strong chance of getting the win this weekend and being right back on track to making the College Football Playoff.
Milroe explained what the team’s preparation has been like this week as Saturday draws ever closer.
“I think for us, we just have to have confidence going into our preparation, because that’s going to factor into the game with our preparation and our mindset as we approach this game,” Milroe said. “It’s going to be so important. Especially with external factors when it comes to pouring into the stadium. This belief system between the guys in the locker room and also our coaching staff, as we implement our gameplan and as we constantly just grow throughout the whole time. That’s so important for us as we move forward.”
