Questions persisted throughout the offseason about who would lead the 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide at quarterback. Jalen Milroe answered those questions in resounding fashion last night at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Looking ahead to the Texas game, Alabama has a starting quarterback.
In the season opener against Middle Tennessee State, Jalen Milroe became the first Alabama player to throw three touchdown passes and rush for two scores in a single game. The No. 4 Crimson Tide dominated Blue Raiders, securing a commanding 56-7 victory.
Milroe completed 13 of 18 passes for 194 yards whiled adding 48 yards on the ground. Impressively, he has now thrown three touchdown passes in each of his two career starts.
Isaiah Bond, Jermaine Burton, and Amari Niblack each secured touchdown receptions as the Crimson Tide extended their impressive streak by winning their 17th consecutive home opener under Coach Saban. Jaylen Key also contributed to Alabama’s success with an interception.
Nicholas Vattiato completed 21 of 32 passes for 127 yards, notching one touchdown and one interception for the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee’s struggles against ranked opponents continued as they fell to a 1-22 record since transitioning to an FBS program in 1999.
The Crimson Tide displayed their dominance by outgaining the Blue Raiders 431 yards to 211 yards.
Alabama’s initial touchdown occurred during a broken play in the first quarter when the shotgun snap was low, skidding past Milroe. In an impressive recovery, he retrieved the ball at the Middle Tennessee 32-yard line and managed to break several tackles on his way to a remarkable 21-yard scoring run.
In the first quarter, Jase McClellan powered through from the 1-yard line, putting the Crimson Tide ahead 14-0 with 4:15 left.
Then, in the first half, Milroe showcased his versatility by scoring on a 13-yard keeper with just 3:07 remaining. In a stunning turn of events, a mere 69 seconds later, he connected with Bond on a 47-yard touchdown pass, extending Alabama’s lead to 28-0.
Milroe continued his impressive performance in the third quarter, throwing two more touchdown passes. He found Burton for a 47-yard strike with 12:54 left in the period. Later, he connected with Niblack on a 29-yard touchdown pass at the 10:25 mark, further solidifying the Crimson Tide’s lead at 42-0 before exiting the game.
Middle Tennessee managed to get on the scoreboard with just 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter when Vattiato connected on a 7-yard scoring pass to Bryce Bailey.
After Jalen Milroe’s exit, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner took the reins and made an impact by scoring on a 9-yard run with 10:38 left in the game. Buchner completed 3 of 5 passes for a total of 27 yards.
Ty Simpson, the third quarterback in the Alabama competition, joined the scoring action with a 1-yard sneak with 5:58 left in the game. Simpson also completed his only pass attempt, gaining 5 yards.
Now the Crimson Tide will turn their attention to the much anticipated showdown against Texas. Kick is slated for 6:00 pm Central Time at Bryan-Denny Stadium and will air on ESPN. Both the College Game Day and SEC Nation crews will be on hand to preview the action.
Texas easily handled Rice by a score of 37-10 in Austin Saturday afternoon.
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