The college football world will be watching the Georgia Bulldogs play the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m ET on ABC. Arguably the biggest star in the Georgia-Alabama game is Alabama junior quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Milroe is an excellent athlete. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound quarterback is elusive as a rusher and has a lethal deep ball. Milroe has thrown for 590 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and no interceptions this season. He is a big reason why Alabama is 3-0.
Milroe is a dynamic playmaker that hurts opposing teams with drive-extending scrambles and designed runs. He already has six rushing touchdowns this season.
“It’s a considerable jump (from last year) as a just natural pocket passer,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on Jalen Milroe. “You see him make more throws now that are like rhythm throws, on-time throws, RPO throws. You could tell he’s become more comfortable with those things.”
Milroe has done a good job of adjusting to Alabama’s new offensive scheme under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama has averaged 49 points per game through three weeks and looks very explosive offensively.
“Still, some of his best and most exciting plays are when things break down or when he runs the ball by design,” continued Kirby Smart. “Either one is very dangerous, but you can see him as a deep ball passer, the vertical passing game, the shots, the rhythm throws, the outs, the timing throws, the RPO throws. He’s improved immensely at that part of his game, but he’s always been good at the athletic part of the game.”
There’s no doubt that Milroe is one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football. Milroe has already forged a strong connection with freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who is the Crimson Tide’s leading receiver through three weeks with 10 receptions for 285 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Milroe played well in Alabama’s 27-24 SEC championship win over Georgia last season. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama’s three-point win. Georgia did a good job of containing Milroe as a rusher. The Bulldogs sacked him four times and limited him to 29 rushing yards on 14 carries.
“Just how explosive he is,” said Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon on facing Milroe. “He’s a dynamic athlete, but he’s also a good quarterback too, throwing the ball. He throws a really good deep ball and with his feet, he’s really explosive.”
Georgia returns a lot of its defensive personnel in the front seven from last year’s SEC championship game. The Bulldogs need a big day from their pass rush if they’re going to slow down Milroe and the Crimson Tide.
