BATON ROUGE, La. — Jalen Milroe already had momentum on his side at Tiger Stadium. But at the start of the fourth quarter, the Alabama football quarterback cemented it for good.
Tiger Stadium tried to give LSU a spark heading into the fourth quarter, shutting the lights off and starting the program’s “Callin’ Baton Rouge” tradition in an attempt to ignite what had been a raucous home atmosphere two hours prior.
The lights came up, LSU fans a little louder than they had been. Milroe forced silence almost immediately.
Milroe took the snap and, following a block by running back Justice Haynes, was off to the races, scoring a 72-yard touchdown run – his fourth in Alabama’s 42-13 win against LSU – and sparking a rendition of “Dixieland Delight” from the small section of Alabama fans near the Crimson Tide tunnel.
“He’s got a super power when it comes to running the football,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said of Milroe. “You can see him not just be a guy that gets first downs, but finishes in the end zone.”
After his four rushing touchdowns against the Tigers, Milroe secured Alabama’s single-season record for rushing scores by a quarterback, beating Jalen Hurts’ 13, which he set in 2016.
Milroe left Tiger Stadium thankful, appreciative of DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan for the opportunity to play quarterback for Alabama, appreciative of the state for giving him that same chance.
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“I take a lot of pride in being an Alabama quarterback,” Milroe said. “Each Saturday I take the field, I’m going to do my best and just try to do what’s best for the football team and our offense.”
How Jalen Milroe 2023 LSU game helped Saturday
Milroe took advantage of what LSU gave him in 2023, pairing 219 passing yards with 155 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 42-28 win in Tuscaloosa.
Milroe did the same Saturday against the Tigers, finishing with 109 passing yards and 185 rushing yards and four of Alabama’s six rushing touchdowns.
Ahead of Saturday, Milroe said he used film to “reflect” on what he did against LSU in 2023 to set up a “smooth” game plan against the Tigers on Saturday night.
“I’m just doing what the defense gave (me),” Milroe said.
For DeBoer, Milroe led an offense that consistently stayed ahead of the chains, giving Alabama the chance to utilize its entire playbook and a physical offensive line that blew open holes for him to work with.
And while DeBoer was not with Alabama for Milroe’s 2023 performance, he admits that level of success could have played a part.
“He probably had some good vibes from a year ago, too,” DeBoer said.
Will Jalen Milroe ‘good vibes’ continue for Alabama football?
Last year after LSU, the Alabama quarterback completed 67.5% of his pass attempts for 199.6 passing yards per game with 10 touchdowns and one interception. Milroe added three rushing touchdowns, averaging 3.7 yards per rush including a 107-yard performance against Auburn.
Can Milroe use his production against LSU to spark momentum against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn, and maybe even against a College Football Playoff opponent?
All DeBoer knows is what he saw in Tiger Stadium in moments like the one that started the fourth quarter.
DeBoer saw a quarterback that was fresh.
“He was certainly running well tonight, wasn’t he?” DeBoer said.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him atcgay@gannett.com or follow him@_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
