Saturday’s blowout win over Kentucky was yet another chapter in Jalen Milroe’s mission to rewrite the narrative that surrounded him.
Some called him a running back heading into the season, and the quarterback battle was the talk of college football before the first game against MTSU. Others saw a rough performance against Texas in week two and completely cast him aside – convinced that someone on Alabama’s bench could do better.
Almost all hope was lost surrounding the Crimson Tide’s playoff chances, especially after a brutal outing against USF where Milroe was third-string behind Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson.
But since that moment where Milroe returned to the starting lineup against Ole Miss, the story has completely flipped.
Against Kentucky, it was a three rushing, three passing touchdown, 283-yard performance. He made just a single mistake – an interception on a forced throw – but even that was his first in a number of games.
He also managed to battle through another instance of adversity in this game – a hit to his upper thigh that knocked him out of the game for just a single play. Milroe returned and immediately started his offensive onslaught.
In the past, that temporary restriction on running might have been a disaster for the redshirt sophomore. This time, it wasn’t even a distraction.
The end result? A 49-21 win for the Crimson Tide.
Quick start
One trend that Alabama appeared to break in Lexington was an inability to score early in games. Until the game against LSU, Alabama’s earliest touchdown had come with 4:48 left in the opening quarter against Mississippi State.
The Crimson Tide scored on the opening drive of the game on Saturday, as well as on the two ensuing drives.
Next Up
Alabama will return home to take on Chattanooga in a late-season out-of-conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT. The game will air on SEC Network+.
Nicholas Pursley is the Sports Director at WVUA-FM. You can follow him on X @nicholaspursley.
