Jalen Milroe made key runs after getting a feel for Tennessee defense

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Nick Saban has tried to get Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to play like a point guard this season, taking care of the ball and distributing it to his teammates.

Milroe was so-so in that department, at least in the first half, as he turned the ball over twice. But he bounced back with a strong second-half performance to help lead the Crimson Tide to a 34-20 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The basketball comparison evolved, however, as Milroe took time to feel out his opponent, the Vols, before seeing success with his legs. The Alabama quarterback gained 39 yards on the ground before sacks (-36 yards) and had three first-down runs of 10 or more yards during the second half, including a 15-yard run on 3rd and 10 during the fourth quarter.

“I thought Jalen played really well in the game, especially in the second half,” Saban said. “We missed a couple reads in the first half on the runs, the quarterback runs, but he did a much better job in the second half. I think you’ve got to get a feel for how the guy’s playing you. It’s a little bit like if you are playing point guard and the guy’s slumping off, you shoot a three. If he’s guarding you close, you drive around him. 

“But when you’re reading a defensive end on some of this stuff, I think you’ve got to get a feel for it, and I think once that happened in the game, he did a really good job and he made some really key runs. The one scramble for a first down was big.”

Milroe ended his eighth career start with three rushing yards on nine attempts after sacks were included in his final tally and also threw for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 14-of-21 passing. He had a big third quarter, where he was 4-of-5 for 103 yards and a 46-yard touchdown to Isaiah Bond, but it’s also where he started using his legs.

“The thing we emphasized with him against these guys, because they have really good edge rushers, you’ve got to step up in the pocket,” Saban said. “On the touchdown pass to start the second half, edge pressure, stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball. Stepped up in the pocket on a couple of those runs. And that’s something that he used to do really well, so I thought he made some really key plays today.”

Whether Alabama asked him to step up in the pocket or take off, Milroe was ready to roll.

“My job is to be a point guard and do what the assignment calls for,” Milroe said. “Whether it’s a pass or run, my job is to be the best leader I can be, the best point guard I can be for the team. If the assignment says throw the ball, the assignment says throw the ball. If it says run, I’m going to run. I’m going to run fast, too, and run over somebody.”

OTHER NOTEWORTHY NOTES

(Notes via Alabama Athletics)

– Saban improved to 21-2 when avenging a previous loss (last season’s 52-49 loss in Knoxville). The only two times the Crimson Tide has fallen in back-to-back games against the same opponent is LSU (2010-11) and Ole Miss (2014-15).

– The win marked the Tide’s 10th consecutive home victory over the Vols as Saban improved to 18-2 for his career vs. Tennessee and 15-1 at Alabama. 

– After trailing 20-7 at intermission, the Crimson Tide outscored the Volunteers 17-0 in the third quarter to take the lead for good at 24-20. For the season, Alabama has dominated the third quarter of play, outscoring the competition, 79-24.

– With his nine points on the night (two field goals, three extra points), Will Reichard climbed up to No. 5 on the NCAA all-time career points list with 495. With five more points, he would become just the fourth player in NCAA history to score 500 or more points in their career (1. Keenan Reynolds [530], 2. Kenneth Dixon [522], 3. Montee Ball [500]).

– The win was the 295th victory inside Bryant-Denny Stadium (295-55-3, .840).

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