The gears must have been moving fast in backup Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s head. He’d just seen Heisman Trophy-winning starter Bryce Young walk to the injury tent in pain, clearly hurt up two touchdowns Saturday at Arkansas.
It was his turn, and no pressure, but things were about to get weird before leading Alabama to a 49-26 win. There wasn’t long to mentally prepare to go from QB2 to primetime in front of nearly 75,000-plus unfriendly witnesses.
But before he jogged out to lead the Crimson Tide offense, he had at least two conversations. Milroe stuck his head into the tent to check on Young who sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
“The biggest thing I told him is I love him,” Milroe said. “Our bond that we have off the field speaks much greater than football. I love him and we love each other. I was checking on him and he gave me some words of advice. The biggest thing I wanted to tell him was God was with him and I love him.”
Young told him to stay calm and lean on his training.
That chat came second.
“The first thought I had was just to talk to God,” Milroe said. “I asked for protection, healing. … The first thing I did was talk to God, had a one-on-one conversation with God.”
Milroe, a sophomore, got off to a fast start after entering the game with 9:14 left before halftime. Kool-Aid McKinstry’s 45-yard punt return gave him a short field, and after two handoffs to Jahmyr Gibbs, Milroe ran three yards untouched for a touchdown to make it 21-0 Alabama.
A drive later, his tunnel screen to JoJo Earle on third-and-18 went 22 yards for another score and a 28-0 lead.
That’s where things went sideways.
A combination of defensive lapses, special teams nightmares and a few stagnant drives left Milroe facing third-and-15 at his own 20 up just 28-23. Alabama had just been called for one of its 10 penalties as Razorback Stadium felt like it was caving in on Alabama’s sideline.
All Milroe did next was change everything.
His 77-yard run kick-started a 21-3 fourth-quarter blitz that made the final scoreboard something of a liar. From an Alabama blowout to an Arkansas comeback, Milroe and Gibbs gave this game a third act with their three runs of 70-plus yards to make the final look standard for Alabama’s 16-game win streak over Arkansas.
Gibbs just told Milroe everyone had his back and that he’s “built for this” moment.
“Jalen be turnt up, he got us all hyped,” Gibbs said. “For the most part, he was calm. He knew what to do. He knew his job.”
Milroe gave an entertaining postgame interview with a scrum of reporters outside the Alabama locker room as the sun set on his most significant experience as a college quarterback. He chuckled a few times, appearing to enjoy the banter that came with winning a big game.
What did he see on that 77-yard sprint?
He laughed.
“Once I passed the line of scrimmage, I was just trying to get the first down,” Milroe said. “Then my eyes got big and I tried to score.”
He didn’t. Khari Johnson caught him at the 3-yard line so Jase McClellan had to punch it in two plays later to make it a two-score game. Milroe laughed even harder when asked the last time he’d lost a foot race.
“I don’t even know,” said Milroe, famously one of the fastest runners on Alabama’s roster. “I was shocked.”
Where he goes from here depends a lot on Young’s injured AC joint. Saban said they didn’t put him back in the game because he didn’t have any zip on the ball so it was Milroe’s show for the remainder of the day in Fayetteville.
Milroe threw it just nine times in nearly three quarters of action. He completed four of the passes for 65 yards but his 91 rushing yards and the 206 more from Jahmyr Gibbs that gave Saturday a happy ending for the backup QB who got a sudden promotion.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
Ad Choices