Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has faced challenges in recent games, struggling with turnovers and reduced rushing production.
Milroe, who had entered the season with Heisman hopes, threw two interceptions each in Alabama’s narrow win over South Carolina and their 34-27 loss to Tennessee.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer addressed Milroe’s situation during a Friday appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter, emphasizing the need to help the quarterback regain his rhythm.
“We just gotta get back to when he’s at his best and not try to do too much, not try to get outside of what he’s capable of,” DeBoer said. “He’s a phenomenal athlete, player, person. Just really do what he does best. Understand what makes him different than other quarterbacks.”
In the recent loss to Tennessee, Milroe completed 25 of 45 passes and threw a costly interception on Alabama’s final drive. His rushing ability has also declined, with only 36 yards against South Carolina and 11 against Tennessee. The dip began with Vanderbilt, where he managed just 10 rushing yards after running for 117 yards and two touchdowns the previous week against Georgia.
DeBoer stressed the importance of building Milroe’s confidence and ensuring his teammates perform at a high level to ease pressure on the quarterback.
“That’s always something we’re gonna make sure we try to do, is tailor things around what he can do for us. Help him be confident with that, make sure that the other guys around him are all doing their job at an extremely high level so that makes his job just a little bit easier, doesn’t put as much pressure on him. We all just need to have everyone pick up their game, and I know he’ll do the same, because it means a lot to him.”
Alabama’s next challenge will be against Missouri at Bryant-Denny Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 2:45 p.m. CT on ABC.
