Notebook: Jalen Milroe joins short list of SEC QBs with 20 rushing TDs

TUSCALOOSA, Ala – With three rushing touchdowns against Auburn, Jalen Milroe now has 33 for his career, tying Bobby Humphrey (1985-88) for the seventh-most in Alabama history.

The redshirt junior quarterback is up to 20 rushing scores this season, which is the fourth-most by any Crimson Tide player. Milroe is only the fourth signal-caller in SEC history to record 20 or more rushing touchdowns, joining Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel, and is the first to reach that mark since Manziel’s 21 touchdowns for Texas A&M in 2012.

After the game, Milroe commented on joining elite company in the 20-touchdown club.

“I wanna thank my offensive line,” Milroe said. “I wanna thank the receiving corps. I wanna thank the running backs for all their commitment during the week and their physicality and their commitment to the game plan on each play call. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to get in the end zone, I wouldn’t be able to make explosive plays. So I wanna show my appreciation to them.”

“… They’re just selfless, and I just show my appreciation for them each and every opportunity I have when it comes to scoring and going on the sideline and just being thankful. It’s misinterpreted it’s always just one guy that scores, but there’s 10 other guys that do their job, as well. So I’m just truly appreciative of our offense.”

In Alabama’s 28-14 win over Auburn, Milroe rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts, getting back on track after last week’s loss at Oklahoma. Turnovers were still an issue for Milroe, who lost the ball three time against the Tigers, but he was much more effective as a runner – against a defense that said he wasn’t going to run outside against it.

The Alabama quarterback produced his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and the fifth of his college career. The Tide is now 7-0 this season when Milroe has rushed for at least two touchdowns while improving to 11-0 all-time. The redshirt junior’s legs have been a weapon for Alabama at times this season, and Saturday against Auburn was one of those.

“He found his times to go make plays,” said Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. “Sometimes it was when we dropped back, but he didn’t force it, but when the times came, he can go make those plays. I thought he did a good job of trying to put his head down at times, and then he loves using his feet and getting to the corner. When he’s doing those type of things, we become really hard to defend. 

“So I was proud of the way he executed a lot of just both the run and the pass. He made us tough to defend a lot of times today. Again, I thought he threw the ball extremely well and great completion percentage – even some more that we probably left out there on the football field.”

Hubbard leads Tide defense in INTs

After Milroe’s third turnover of the day, Auburn took over at the Alabama 49-yard line. But just two plays later, the Tide took it right back. Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne threw a backward pass to running back Jarquez Hunter, who attempted a double pass downfield. Only there were three Alabama defensive backs around his target, KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

One of those was safety Bray Hubbard, who picked off the trick play and ended what looked like a chance for Auburn to trim the Crimson Tide lead to single digits after its own turnover. 

see ball. take ball. 🤫@BraysonHubbard

📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/eNycJxvjO4

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 30, 2024

What did Hubbard see on the play?

“I saw the back kind of check-up when he caught the ball,” Hubbard said. “I was just kind of set put and then I knew it was a double pass once he checked up. So then I just stayed where I was, kind of looked around, saw what was around me and then just reacted to it.”

Hubbard now leads an Alabama defense, that has picked off 16 passes this season, with three interceptions. The sophomore took over as a starting safety following the season-ending injury to Keon Sabb and has made the most of his playing time and forced turnovers.

“He was just waiting for the opportunity, and while he was waiting he was getting ready this season and that’s a credit to him,” DeBoer said of Hubbard. “There’s I think a lesson that a lot of players that are young – and I know, he’s not a freshman or anything like that – but guys who are waiting for their time that I think can really take from what he did this year. 

“He’s a guy that plays with passion, but he’s a really heady player and continue to develop the physical tools each and every week and the confidence. And we have belief in him because we know he cares so much. He’s really smart. He sees things. And every snap he’s playing, he’s getting better and better.”

Sideline skirmish in the Iron Bowl

It’s rivalry weekend. Most of the teams facing off in Week 14 don’t like each other, and the Iron Bowl is no exception. We saw tempers flare in the second half, which led to a skirmish on the Auburn sideline and penalties called on Alabama – which DeBoer didn’t like.

It started with Lambert-Smith and Tide defensive back DeVonta Smith, who battled well beyond the visiting sideline. Then other players, from both teams got involved. It ended with Smith and Malachi Moore being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but no one for Auburn was penalized. It didn’t sit well with DeBoer, but he shared his thoughts after the game.

“I saw the first part of it, and I understand there was a piece where we didn’t handle it probably as well as we needed to,” DeBoer said. “So I don’t want to get into it too much other than that. I know I felt like there was something that prompted it, but that’s about all I know, and it was on the other sideline, so you can’t see a lot. But certainly one of those things that got them a little bit of momentum with those yards you could’ve got after that, but it’s an emotional game. 

“You put (in work) all year and it builds up to this and the game itself and the back and forth and a lot of momentum swings. It’s not OK, but I understand where the emotions were on both sides. A lot of people over there, so it’s hard for me to really tell what was going on.”

There was another altercation after the game that had to be de-escalated by director of athletics Greg Byrne and Sabb, who was moving around with help from crutches. But according some of Alabama’s players the chippiness began after toe met leather on the opening kick.

“It was every play,” said cornerback Domani Jackson. “I mean, it’s the Iron Bowl, right?”

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