Alabama trio previews SEC Championship Game vs. Georgia
Three Alabama players – inside linebacker Deontae Lawson, quarterback Jalen Milroe and defensive back Malachi Moore – took part in the SEC Championship Game student-athlete teleconference on Monday. Below are full transcripts from their 10-minute interviews.
Deontae Lawson, LB
THE MODERATOR: Deontae, please take a moment to give us your general thoughts on the upcoming game against Georgia.
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yeah, I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere. This is always the type of game that you want to play in growing up, and I think it’s going to be a challenge for us as a team, and we love that.
Q. If you go back to the Texas game and the South Florida game, there would be a whole lot of people that would think that Alabama would not be where it is right now. Where do you think kind of turned things around for you guys?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yeah, I think we just started to come together and know it goes back to our training and just trying to practice the best way we can so we can perform well in the game.
I think that just goes back to how we practice.
Q. How difficult is it defending Jalen Milroe in practice, and have there been some examples where he’s left you flat-footed before in the open field?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Oh, yes, sir, no doubt, all the time. Jalen Milroe, he’s very elusive, and he’s also explosive. He’s stronger than most people think, and he can make you miss. Yeah, there’s plenty of times that he kind of just outran me, but it’s always good competing against him.
Q. What’s unique about Georgia’s running game, and have you played against a team of that caliber and that style of run game?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yeah, they’ve got a big offensive line. They block together to create lanes for the backs. They also have great backs that can make the yards after contact and just make the plays.
I think our offensive line has really helped us throughout the year just on stopping the run, just on how we practice on those days, and we’re looking forward to the challenge that we have coming up ahead.
Q. You mentioned your offensive line; how have they improved throughout the season, better pass blocking and opening up holes for the running backs?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yeah, I think the communication got a lot better. That was a big thing for them with some new guys that we had that had to step up. I think that’s just the big thing for them, just being able to communicate, and they’re doing that at an elite level right now.
Q. You mentioned going against Milroe in practice and his athletic ability and all that. Was there ever early on in the season when you guys were struggling a little bit, and of course he didn’t play in the one game, did you ever doubt that he would be a success, and also could you speak to kind of the — he seems to sort of have that infectious ability to impact the team just with his attitude, his big smile, just that infectious ability to be a leader. Could you talk a little bit about that, as well.
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yes, sir. Jalen Milroe is a guy I came in with. I never doubted J-Mill even after the Texas game we lost. I kind of met with him alone and just told him I believe in him and just keep having faith and you will be the guy.
But yeah, his leadership is unmatched. He’s just a great teammate. His personality is great. He’s always smiling, always getting people in better moods.
But when it’s time to work, he’s serious about his business, and he prepares like no one else. I think that’s what makes him elite.
Q. Could you also kind of just speak to the magnitude of this game, playing in an SEC Championship, playing against a team like Georgia that’s on such an incredible streak, just the bigness, really, of this game?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yes, sir. We all know this is a big game. This is championship week. This is one of our goals that we had coming up for the season. This is something you dream of as a kid.
We’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do throughout the week and prepare the right way so that we can execute on Saturday.
Q. You guys have obviously been playing really good ball. I think Kirby Smart said today he thought you were playing as well as anybody in the country, maybe better. I can’t remember his exact words. Has it been frustrating to look at those College Football Playoff standings and kind of be stuck behind a team you played in week 2 or week 3 and lost to? Is there a thought that you’ve got to win impressively to make sure you get in the playoff?
DEONTAE LAWSON: You know, we just try to control what we can control, just keep on week in and week out and just trying our best to win the game and dominate our opponent.
I think that’s just been our focus from the start of the season, just keep doing what we can and control what we can control, and everything will work itself out.
Q. To follow up on that, a lot of people have said you guys are a different team and you’re playing better. How confident are you guys you would beat that team if you got a second chance? How much better are you now than when you played Texas?
DEONTAE LAWSON: Yeah, I think our confidence as a team has grown tremendously. Just the way we’ve improved and how we came together as a team is pretty unique. We think we are a dangerous team, so that’s always good, and we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing, keep practicing hard, keep preparing the right way, and we’ll be good.
Jalen Milroe, QB
THE MODERATOR: Give us your general thoughts on the upcoming game against Georgia.
JALEN MILROE: It’s very exciting. Definitely we have to embrace the challenge that’s ahead of us. They’re coming off of more than a 20-game winning streak, so it’s definitely a challenge for the guys in the locker room. But at the end of the day, it’s all about doing our job, and we’re just excited for the challenge.
Q. Just wondering when things settled down for you and when you truly felt comfortable. I know at the beginning of the year when you were named starter, Nick even said, just because he’s the starter now, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be the starter. But even after the South Florida game when he named you starter again, it seemed like everything had settled down a little bit more. How comforting was that and when did you feel as comfortable as you do now?
JALEN MILROE: Honestly, I felt comfortable all season. I can’t say just one particular moment. I think the biggest thing was being prepared, and I think preparation came from the off-season, trying to be as much prepared for the season that was ahead of us.
I see every opportunity to get better, and I see every moment as a growing moment and not linger in certain things.
Early in the season I seen as a learning moment, and that goes for anyone. No one is perfect in this world. To me, that’s the biggest thing. I know I’m not a finished product, and I just constantly try to be the best version of myself on and off the field, and the biggest thing that I can say that contributed to that was my support system, my support system meaning my teammates in the locker room, my coaching staff and my family.
I think that’s the biggest that I think has truly uplifted me through this journey during the season. I can honestly say that.
But the biggest thing, it’s just constantly trying to work towards the common goal, and the common goal is to be successful.
Q. You experienced something Saturday night that most people on this planet will never get to experience. How do you get your head out of the clouds? I would imagine you still can’t help but think about how that transpired even though you’ve got the magnitude of this game. How do you get your head out of the clouds from what happened Saturday night?
JALEN MILROE: You know, it’s funny with that moment, I just seen it as a repetition throughout the off-season. My dad and I trained constantly through the off-season, and the biggest thing my dad is big on is repetition, so I might throw an out route probably 30 times or a go ball a lot, constantly, until it’s perfect, until I can’t miss. That was something in the off-season that my dad and I just worked on was just throwing every throw on the field until I can’t miss, until it’s time to move to another throw.
I think that was the biggest thing with my dad, and I think that just truly contributed to the last game throw, and it just was just falling back to your level of training.
Q. Have you moved on from that, though?
JALEN MILROE: 100 percent. It’s over with. That game is over with, and now it’s about refocusing and working on cleaning up some things from Auburn and then focusing on what the task is, which is today.
Q. I wonder what you saw in the moment Saturday night with Isaiah coming open. The best thing for a quarterback to do is to throw a guy open. What were you doing there? When you got a chance to watch what you did after the game, the replay, slow motion, what went through your mind?
JALEN MILROE: Honestly, with that play, it was all about finding that one-on-one, and it worked out perfectly for us finding that one-on-one. Isaiah did a great job getting open and getting enough space to get the ball. That was all a group effort. They rushed two guys, so I had enough time. The offensive line did a great job holding up their blocks and just being sound and fundamental within their blocks. All the guys that was on the field was doing their job and getting to the end zone.
There was a lot of key factors into what exactly happened as far as Isaiah getting the ball, but it just came from — and then another thing, too, that was mentioned was we work that play every single week, every single week throughout this whole season. So that I honestly can say contributed to that play. Whether it was completed or not completed, we can honestly say that we repped it and we were prepared for the moment.
Q. Also after the game Isaiah said the name of the play was “Gravedigger.” What’s the significance of “Gravedigger”?
JALEN MILROE: Well, it was a name that took place because we have a dig in the play, and so it was just a common name for it.
Q. I’m just wondering, obviously there was a moment after the game that kind of went viral of you sort of shouting about the Heisman Trophy. I’m wondering — obviously it’s something you’re passionate about. Is that something that’s on your mind, in the goals that you keep for yourself for this year or for the future?
JALEN MILROE: First off, that was an emotional moment, so things came out that was all through emotion, so that’s number one. But the biggest thing was I was just so proud to be in the moment. The biggest thing I just want to do is just be the best teammate I can be and worry about the task at hand, and the task at hand is trying to improve from Auburn and trying to build on the good things that won the game and also improve on some negative plays that happened in the game. Just moving forward I think the biggest thing is just refocusing and then just worrying about the task at hand.
Q. Following up on that play, and I know you want to get away from that play because you’ve got a big game coming up, were you surprised at Auburn’s choice not to pressure you?
JALEN MILROE: Well, I don’t want to get into strategic plans because everyone plans out differently. It helped us that they were in that particular look, but it was just something that — it was all about taking advantage of what they gave, and that was exactly what happened.
Coach Rees, credit to him, he called a great play, and we executed it perfectly.
Q. Could you just talk a little bit about how you kind of define yourself as a leader kind of away from the field or in practice, away from the moments that everybody sees on the field? It seems like you really have this infectious ability to motivate not just yourself but all those around you.
JALEN MILROE: Yes, sir. I think the biggest thing I try to be is be a servant leader. My mom taught me this when I was younger. She said to me, the goal in life is not to seek the blessings but be a blessing to other people, and that set with me as I played the game, and that was something that honestly stuck with me. That’s how I try to influence other guys.
Then another thing, too, is try to lead by example as much as possible and do things the right way, be seen as someone doing things the right way, and that’s something that motivates me. That’s something that’s a part of my burn, as I like to say, that gets me going, and I can honestly say that I gain more joy from other people’s success and other people working toward a common goal than any personal success.
Q. Did you kind of have to fall back on that approach earlier this year when things weren’t going maybe the way you wanted?
JALEN MILROE: No, I’ve been the same person since started playing the game. The situation that happened during the season doesn’t define who I am. I’ve been the same person since I entered college. Nothing has changed about me except the opportunity to play the game I love.
Q. My question is about size and your self-comparisons. They list you as 6’2″, 220, but to the naked eye you seem bigger than that. Kirby Smart basically made the comparison to Lamar Jackson today. I asked him to compare you to Tebow, and he took it another step and compared you to a video game player that’s playing faster than everyone else. Is there an NFL guy you compare yourself to, and what is the true tale of the tape?
JALEN MILROE: Yeah, I would say I look up to every NFL quarterback in the league because they all had a process to get them to where they’re at. I think as any quarterback that’s looking up or that’s inspired to play the game for a long time, you’ve got to look at the guys that’s all starting for the NFL teams, so I look up to all those guys because they all had a certain journey to get them to where they’re at, and it takes hard work and takes facing many challenges that was placed in front of them. So I look up to every guy that’s in the game. I learn different things from different quarterbacks, to answer your question, but with that comment, I only can just try to build and continue to be who I am.
Q. As far as the 6’2″, 220, is that accurate?
JALEN MILROE: No, that ain’t accurate. I’m much bigger than that. That was like freshman year.
Malachi Moore, DB
THE MODERATOR: Malachi, please take a moment to give us your general thoughts on the upcoming SEC Championship game.
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, just a great opportunity for our team. It’s definitely going to be a tough one, and we just have to make sure going into this week we’re championship-level preparation and championship-level mindset and just coming in each and every day ready to work and really prepared and get ready to go out there for a heavyweight fight on Saturday.
Q. What have you seen on film of Brock Bowers and also the transfer wide receiver from Missouri Lovett?
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, Brock Bowers is definitely a great player for them. He lines up in many different positions, and I think that’s going to be big in this game because when he’s at receiver, he runs receiver routes and he’s basically like an added receiver on the field, and when he’s in the C area and playing tight end, he does a great job being physical in ball protection, and also he’s a very tough runner and he also runs tight end routes when he’s in the C area, along with the sliders that they have, and it’s going to be key to know where he’s at at all times because he’s a big part of their offense.
And Lovett, yeah. He’s definitely an explosive receiver for them, as well. I see him making a lot of big-time plays and a lot of big-time catches down the field and explosive plays, and he’s a good route runner, fast, has good hands, and he does a good job of getting yards after the catch.
Q. When you guys rally up before the game, who among the players delivers the final message, and if it isn’t Jalen, when did you see him becoming more of a leader, because there was a game this season he didn’t even play?
MALACHI MOORE: You’re talking about the South Florida game?
Q. Yes.
MALACHI MOORE: Oh, can you repeat the question?
Q. When did you see Jalen becoming more of a leader this season?
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I would say the USF game just to see him how he handled the situation, how he was still there for his teammates, still talking, hyping us up, being positive on the sideline. I think that’s when I realized how much of a leader Jalen was and how much of a great teammate he was.
Q. What did that show you, that he still did that and didn’t even set foot on the field?
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, it shows you a lot about who he is as a person. He’s a great guy. He’s a great teammate. He’s always there for us through the good, bad, ugly. Yeah, he’s a team player first, and he always has his brothers’ back.
Q. Did you get a chance — I was going to ask you about Jalen Milroe just in general and his talent; obviously he’s become somewhat of an iconic figure with that great play. You guys have obviously known about him for a while. Do you have a moment when you saw Jalen and realized who this new quarterback was on the team or just how special and gifted he is?
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I’d like to say the Texas A&M game because I actually got injured that game and I was in the locker room for a little while after halftime and I come out and I see he’s thrown the ball for like 250 yards, and as I’m out there, he just keeps bombing and bombing it. That’s when I seen the team get really comfortable with himself and trust in himself and his abilities.
Q. To follow up, I know that players don’t have a vote unless they’re former Heisman winners, but is Jalen a guy that we should be taking a look at right now the way he’s playing? That’s an award that’s broadly defined as the best player in college football. Should he be considered for that award, as good as he’s playing for Alabama?
MALACHI MOORE: Yeah, I would think so, just because of, like you said, how well he’s been playing. He’s been playing better each and every week, and I think that’s important. He’s preparing the right way each and every week, and he really goes out there and gives our team the best chance to win, and he does a great job of getting the ball to our playmakers and also making plays when he has to make plays and also making the right decisions at times.
Q. You mentioned about this being a heavyweight fight. What’s your memory of the last time you played Georgia and what they’ve done since then as you’ve watched them from afar?
MALACHI MOORE: Last time we played Georgia was in the Natty. They’re always going to be a tough, physical team. They’re going to try to run the ball on offense, be physical, establish the run game, and then hit you with explosive passes as the game goes on, and defensively they do a good job of trying to stop the run and also do a good job of making sure all of them are on the same page in their coverage assignments.
They’re just a well-coached team, very talented across the board on offense and defense, and like I said, it’s going to be a fun match-up on Saturday.
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