Jalen Milroe, Alabama ground game lead Tide past LSU Tigers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama leaned on its rushing attack Saturday in its 42-28 win over the LSU Tigers, and that strategy paid off as the Crimson Tide had a season-high 288 yards.

It was a collective offensive effort from the offensive line, running backs and quarterback Jalen Milroe, who had the first 100-yard game of his career and set a school record for touchdowns on the ground. After the 14-point win, head coach Nick Saban commended the entire unit.

“The offensive line did a fantastic job,” Saban said. “They got really good movement. The backs really pressed the holes and did a really good job. I think we had a really good plan to run the ball and get the ball on the perimeter some – some with Jalen, some with some other guys – and the combination of those things, I think, helps your inside running game, as well. 

“But it all came down to execution, and I thought this was the best execution we had from an efficiency standpoint in the run game all year.”

As a team, the Crimson Tide (8-1, 6-0 SEC) combined to rush for 288 yards and six touchdowns in the victory. Milroe finished the game with 155 rushing yards, which was the fifth-most by a UA quarterback, while his four rushing touchdowns were the most ever by an Alabama signal-caller. Jase McClellan (14 carries, 63 yards) and Roydell Williams (6, 56) also found the end zone for the Tide, which closed the night with an average of 6.3 yards per carry (46 totes).

His 20 rushing attempts were a career-high for Milroe, as the offense has seemed to cater to his strengths more and more as the season has progressed. But even on a night where he did what few at his position have in an Alabama uniform, he spoke highly of his Tide teammates.

“I just try to do all that’s asked of me on that particular play,” Milroe said. “I’ve got to credit the guys around me to allow each play to be successful. They’re doing a great job. We have a hungry group of guys in the locker room, and I love and enjoy playing with those guys. We have a great mentality in the locker room. So I’m proud of the guys around me, and we’re constantly growing and learning to try to be the best offense that we can be.”

It wasn’t an instance of Tommy Rees calling more designed runs for the quarterback, but Milroe has progressed to the point where he has the option to either take off or throw the football.

“We did run one quarterback draw, but some of them are just getting him to step up in the pocket and if it opens up, he has the option to run or throw,” Saban said. “And we do have some quarterback runs on the perimeter that he did a nice job of executing and we did a nice job of blocking on the perimeter, so it’s a combination of both.”

In addition to the ground attack, Milroe accounted 219 yards through the air on 15-of-23 passing as he outdueled LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who also had 219 passing yards and rushed for 163 yards and a score on 11 carries (14.8 ypc). Milroe was only sacked twice in the contest, which is why the Alabama offensive line received rave reviews following the game.

“We’ve done some things protection-wise to try to protect the tackles a little bit,” Saban said. “I think the fact that we’ve got Jalen stepping up in the pocket helps the tackles a little bit so they can push guys by. But I did think we did a really good job in pass protection, which that’s the key to the drill is give the quarterback time to make the kind of decisions he can make.

“And when the guy’s got running ability, it’s even more that way because the defense can stretch out. They’ve got to play scrambles if you take off running. It’s hard to get the guy on the ground, which we certainly got some experience on that tonight, too.”

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