Alabama QB depth chart: Jalen Milroe is on top, and left no doubt vs. MTSU | Goodbread
That the Alabama football team would come away with a relatively easy victory over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday night was all but a foregone conclusion. That new starting quarterback Jalen Milroe would shine brightly enough to leave no doubt who will start for the Crimson Tide against Texas next week was not.
That's precisely what the redshirt sophomore did, however, over two-plus quarters of action in Alabama's 56-7 win over the Blue Raiders at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
He tops the depth chart.
And for now, that's not to be questioned.
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Based on coach Nick Saban's game-week insistence that his Week 1 starter was guaranteed nothing beyond Week 1, we can at least surmise that the starting quarterback job was a lot less of a certainty than a victory over MTSU was. But however loose Milroe's grip on the job might have been entering the game, it only got tighter on Saturday night. Depending on how his performance is graded by the UA coaching staff, perhaps a lot tighter.
We don't need the official report card from new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to know that Milroe performed practically flawlessly in the first quarter, completing all six of his passes and looking confident and composed in doing so. Things weren't as smooth for Milroe in the second quarter, as the Blue Raiders pass rush got to him for a couple of sacks and forced back-to-back punts.
His response? A perfectly-thrown corner route to Isaiah Bond that would have hit No. 17 between the 1 and the 7 for a second-quarter touchdown had MTSU defensive back Tra Fluellen not wisely tripped up Bond to draw a pass interference flag. It was Milroe's most impressive throw of the night − on a night when there were several outstanding candidates for the distinction − and it never hit the stat column.
One series later, Milroe found Bond on another deep ball − this time, the promising speedster was running too wide open to be interfered with − and connected with him in perfect stride for one that hit the stat column with thunder. And a 28-0 halftime lead.
That was the score with which Milroe checked the box on the goal Saban had set for him: to play well enough that the coaching staff could give its other quarterbacks a look. He took the field for a couple more series in the second half, which only galvanized a terrific showing, but he had the victory in hand by the half. His final numbers: 13 of 18 for 194 yards, three TD passes, and another 48 yards and two scores rushing. But his most crucial stat of all − both for his team and for his own longevity as a starter − was the zero he posted in the turnover column. After struggling with ball security in his lone start of last season against Texas A&M, avoiding the dreaded giveaway against MTSU was of paramount importance.
As it will be next week, when he'll make the start he's earned against Texas, and tries to earn yet another.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23 and the Talkin' Tide podcast. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Goodbread: Milroe leaves no doubt who tops Alabama's QB depth chart
