Alabama offense firing on all cylinders Saturday night against MTSU

September 3, 2023

WVUA 23 Sports,

Mfb — Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) snaps the ball against Middle Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Sep 2, 2023.

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Juliet Brown

The biggest question surrounding Alabama football heading into game one was who the starting quarterback would be. Jalen Milroe took the first snap under center and proved the haters wrong.

The redshirt sophomore completed 13-of-18 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns in his second career start. Many spectators doubted his ability to pass the ball effectively, but Milroe silenced those critics on multiple occasions. He connected with sophomore Isaiah Bond on a 47-yard dime for a touchdown right before halftime.

Poetry in motion pic.twitter.com/ttkDjKEx2p

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 3, 2023

Bond emerged as Alabama’s leading receiver against the Blue Raiders. He hauled in five catches for 76 yards and one touchdown.

Milroe connected with Jermaine Burton for a 48-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the second half. The Georgia transfer recorded three catches for 62 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore tight end Amari Niblack made his presence felt as he hauled in two catches of over 20+ yards. The first was a 29 yard touchdown pass from Milroe.

Milroe’s night ended midway through the third quarter as Alabama led 42-0. He led the Crimson Tide in rushing yards with 48 yards on seven attempts and two touchdowns.

Jalen Milroe is the first QB in @AlabamaFTBL history with 3 Pass TD and 2 Rush TD in a game 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9iko5asAjp

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 3, 2023

Notre Dame transfer quarterback Tyler Buchner was the first backup off the bench. After going 3-and-out on his first drive, Buchner led a 10 play, 77-yard touchdown drive which was capped off by a 9-yard quarterback keeper. The sophomore ended his night completing 3-of-5 for 27 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Ty Simpson got his shot under center after the defense recovered a fumble at the MTSU 32-yard line. He led the Crimson Tide offense on a 6-play, 33-yard touchdown drive. Simpson scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to put Alabama up 56-7. He completed his only passing attempt for five yards. He also ran for twelve yards and a touchdown.

The first game proved that Alabama has three playmakers at quarterback and a good receiving corps to support them. They’ll need more support from the running backs as the season goes on, as the lead running back, Jase McClellan, only had 39 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

Next up: Alabama hosts No. 11 Texas on Saturday. College Game Day and SEC Nation will be in Tuscaloosa for pregame coverage before the 6 p.m. kickoff. The Crimson Tide narrowly escaped with a victory over the Longhorns last season in Austin, 20-19.