Jaylan Ford says Longhorns will adapt to Alabama’s dual threat quarterback
The role of Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford will be a little different this week than last when the Longhorns square off against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. But don’t expect the preseason All-American to reveal exactly how his responsibility will change or how the team will adapt in its preparations for one of Saturday’s, and the season’s, marquee games.
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In the Longhorns’ 37-10 romp over Rice on Sept. 2, Texas faced a quarterback – the Owls’ JT Daniels – that was a pocket passer who used his legs only as a last resort to escape the rush and to buy time for his receivers. That allowed Ford, the Longhorns’ middle linebacker, to settle in the area just behind the line of scrimmage and work to each side to cover receivers whose routes brought them into his territory.
The results? Ford nabbed a one-handed interception in the second quarter that set the table for a Texas field goal and finished the game with five tackles (one of those solo) despite playing just 20 of the Longhorns’ 51 defensive snaps.
It will be a whole different challenge against Alabama, as Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, a redshirt sophomore, will be a threat with both his arm and his feet. He passed for 194 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a team-high 48 yards and two scores in Alabama’s 56-7 season-opening win over Middle Tennessee.
Milroe is, in essence, everything Daniels was not. He’s a dual threat that must be accounted for on every snap.
“It is definitely a different kind of factor when you have a guy like Milroe with his athleticism in the backfield,” Ford explained. “It’s a whole different type of test, making sure our rush lanes are straight making sure everybody’s containing him. He presents a different factor when he’s able to use his legs.
“I will say though, I think Bryce (Young) did a good job of using his legs last year when he when he needed them. So I think this this year, emphasis on containing the quarterback remains the same.”
Ford was asked Monday if he would be employed as more of a “spy” close to the line of scrimmage to mirror Milroe and limit his running, both on and off schedule.
“We’ll definitely have a game plan for how to contain (Milroe),” Ford said. “You know, it’s Monday, so we’ll dig more into it. I think I’ll be able to just be me, kind of do what I do. So we’ll see – it might call for that, it might not.
“I say we definitely have players that if we need to do that can fill that role. So I don’t really see that being a heavy burden for us.”
Milroe is dangerous, for sure, but he’s also inexperienced, with just two starts for the Crimson Tide.
“We’re gonna go out there and try to show him something – give him looks, get after him, make him kind of be on his toes,” Ford said. “Make him throw some errant throws. If they make mistakes, we’ve got to go out there and capitalize on them. So that’ll be our goal – do whatever we can make them make mistakes.”
