Milroe’s uneven game ends on down note
PASADENA, Calif. — Alabama has prided itself on discipline and precision in its 17 seasons under coach Nick Saban. But multiple low snaps had Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe consistently plowing into pleased Michigan defensive linemen — including on the final unforgettable play of the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“I’m appreciative of my coaching staff for believing in me to have the ball in my hands on that last play,” Milroe said following No. 4 Alabama’s 2720 overtime loss to No. 1 Michigan in a College Football Playoff semifinal. “You win some, and you lose some, and that’s all part of the game.
“With anything, it came down to falling back to your level of training, and we just failed on that play. That’s all it was.”
Following a final low snap by center Seth Mclaughlin, Milroe grabbed the ball off the grass and dashed headlong into the pile on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line.
“At the end of the day, I just trusted the guys up front for believing in me on the last play to have the ball,” Milroe said. “Unfortunately, we just missed, and we didn’t get into the end zone.”
Milroe, a former Katy Tompkins High star in his first season as Alabama’s starting quarterback, laid on the grass a couple of yards shy of the end zone as Michigan’s players stormed
onto the storied field in celebration.
“This is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do,” Saban said. “Winning the SEC championship … I just wish I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful and help them finish.
“All we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.”
Milroe headed Alabama’s list of players improving throughout
the season, and he nearly led the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory on the same field where his childhood hero, quarterback Vince Young, led Texas to a national title against Southern Cal following the 2005 regular season.
“We have a lot of things we can be proud of from this season,” Milroe said. “(With) past mistakes, we could have easily went in the tank when things weren’t good, but the biggest thing is we continued to improve.
“We continued to have a singular focus in our approach when it came to preparation and when attacking the task at hand.”
Milroe should be back for a junior season and a second year as Alabama’s starter — and trying to build upon a topsy-turvy Rose Bowl and sophomore showing. He finished 16-of-23 for 116 yards in 12-2 Alabama’s lurching finale and engineered a rousing fourth-quarter comeback that the 14-0 Wolverines eventually overcame.
Michigan will face No. 2 Washington in the national championship game Monday night at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Much of Alabama’s offensive upheaval against Michigan was out of Milroe’s hands, based on a suddenly porous offensive line that allowed six Michigan sacks, including five in the first half as the Wolverines built a 1310 lead.
“There were a couple of times where we could have redirected the protection, which we kind of put on the O-line to a large degree, and we didn’t do it,” Saban said. “A couple of times the (play) clock was running down and we didn’t get a chance to (adjust), and a couple of times we … mis-executed up front in terms of getting the right guys blocked when we were in the right protection.
“It was a combination of several things, and I thought we did a better job in the second half. But we didn’t give Jalen an opportunity to make some plays, nor our receivers to make some plays downfield, which was a big part of this game.”