Milroe named starting QB for Alabama following Week 3 benching

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WTVY) - Alabama head coach Nick Saban is looking to squash any question moving forward as to who will be behind center for the Crimson Tide, as he named Jalen Milroe the starting quarterback moving forward.

Milroe, who started in Alabama’s opening season win over Middle Tennessee as well as in the 34-24 Week 2 loss to Texas, was benched in favor of a two quarterback outing for the Tide on the road against USF.

Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and freshman Ty Simpson struggled in the 17-3 win for Alabama over the Bulls, which sparked a media frenzy aimed towards the football program and Coach Saban about who would lead the team going forward after two straight weeks of struggles from the position.

During his Monday press conference, Saban marked Milroe for the starting gig once again going into the team’s SEC opening matchup against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels, saying Milroe’s attitude in the face of the Week 3 benching along with his play up to this point has put him above Buchner and Simpson moving forward.

“From a quarterback standpoint, this is all I’m going to say about this...you know, Jalen really showed the leadership that I was looking for during the game in terms of supporting his teammates and doing the things that he needed to do,” Saban said. “He’s had the opportunity to play. So has the other guys. Jalen played the best of all those guys. So I think he’s earned the opportunity to be the quarterback.”

Milroe thus far has produced a statline of 27 of 45 passing (60% completion) for 449 yards and 5 touchdowns, along with 2 interceptions. He’s also recorded 92 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 22 attempts. The two interceptions alongside his 14-27 for 255 yards and 2 touchdown performance against Texas sparked the major questioning of Alabama’s QB position and Milroe’s ability to lead the team moving forward.

The Milroe-led Tide offensive will look to get back rolling against the undefeated Rebels, who’s offense ranks in the top 4 of every major statistical offensive category in the SEC, including a conference-leading 158 points scored and 52.7 points per game.

Alabama, on the opposite end of the coin, ranks in the bottom half of the conference in the same categories outside of their rushing game, where they rank 7th in yards and yards per game on the ground.

The Crimson Tide will kick off against Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 23, with the game broadcasting live on CBS.

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