Analyzing Alabama fans' worst case scenario following Week 1 game
Quarterback play is unequivocally the biggest storyline for Alabama entering its Week 1 contest against Middle Tennessee. It could also be what causes Crimson Tide fans the most distress if things don’t go well.
With Bryce Young on to the NFL, the Crimson Tide had a competition this offseason between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner to replace him. No starter has been announced with three days left until kickoff, but many believe Milroe will get the nod due to his experience in the system.
Still, it seems safe to assume at least two — if not all three — quarterbacks will see time against an opponent Alabama should have no trouble beating. On3‘s J.D. PicKell and Andy Staples discussed why a poor start from whichever quarterback runs out with the starters would be the “worst case scenario” for Alabama.
“With Jalen Milroe and what he brings to the table from a running perspective, that’s huge for sure,” PicKell began. “But also, if you can’t hit Isaiah Bond downfield or you can’t Malik Benson downfield — you have to have those to win a national championship. It’s not a thing where Alabama’s just hoping to compete for an SEC title or go and win 10 games. I think last year turns up the heat on this year’s team. If you don’t have a guy that can go and capitalize on all the the skill positions available, BamaOnline’s gonna be popping.”
Staples made the point that Alabama wants to lean more on the run this year than it did the past two seasons with Young. That in mind, it would make sense to start things off with Milroe, who ran the ball 17 times for 81 yards in his lone start last season against Texas A&M.
However, Milroe also struggled with accuracy down field in that game, completing 63.2% of his passes for 111 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. If that happens again in the season opener, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Alabama turn to either Simpson or Buchner.
“The hope for Alabama is that they become more of a run-first team as opposed to what they’ve been the past few years where they were most decidedly a pass-first team,” Staples said. “Jalen Milroe, you feel like you can take advantage of that because the quarterback run threat, you get the extra blocker. You really do make the defense fear what you can do on the ground which should theoretically open things up through the air.
“But if that’s not working, then you’re kind of having to go to a completely different offense even though Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner, they’re athletic enough to move around. If Jalen Milroe’s the guy you really wanted to build your offense around, but it’s just not happening out there on game day, you’re gonna have to go back to the drawing board.”
PicKell agreed, saying that Milroe’s performance against A&M will be in the back of fans’ minds, which could make him more susceptible to criticism if things go poorly.
“There’s gonna be a really critical eye on Jalen Milroe because of what he did in the game against Texas A&M,” PicKell said. “Turning the ball over, not looking consistently accurate. They’re gonna be very quick to say after his first interception or even first miss to a receiver, ‘There you go. We saw it last year, we see it again now.’
“Ty Simpson could do the exact same thing but because of your idea of what Ty Simpson is in your mind you say, ‘OK maybe he’s still figuring it out.’ I think the Jalen Milroe criticism is just waiting to be released.”
Of course, it’s important to remember this is a worst case scenario and not what’s expected to happen. The Crimson Tide are more than a five-touchdown favorite, so theoretically any of these three quarterbacks should be able to find success against an opponent that simply isn’t on Alabama’s level.
Kickoff for Alabama’s Week 1 contest is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.