The Alabama quarterback got honest about his struggles at Oklahoma.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe turned in the worst performance of his career in the 24-3 loss at Oklahoma in Week 13. He completed 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards and threw three interceptions in a game for the first time during his time at Alabama as the Crimson Tide fell to 8-3, seriously dimming its College Football Playoff hopes. The Sooners defense also neutralized Milroe as a runner, holding him to his second-lowest rushing total of the season with seven yards on 15 carries.
Milroe tossed his second interception with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter. Alabama trailed 17-3 and was amid an eight-play drive looking to draw to within one score. Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis returned the pick 49 yards for a touchdown. Milroe threw another pick in the fourth quarter.
“Looking at the rotation, it was the right side to work,” Milroe said of the pick-6. “If I threw it a little sooner, we would have completed the ball. It is a pass that I have to complete. I take full ownership of that, and then it’s all about just going 1-0 after that play. We must take full ownership of starting off faster and maximizing our opportunities.”
The loss at Oklahoma marked the first time since 2011 the Crimson Tide failed to score a touchdown and pushed the program to three regular-season losses for the first time since 2010. Alabama is effectively knocked out of the College Football Playoff picture, but Milroe assured Crimson Tide fans there’s still plenty to play for, starting with the Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn in the regular-season finale.
“I don’t take it lightly at all,” Milroe said of Alabama suffering a third loss. “I wear the ‘C’ on my chest and am a leader of the football team. I am a veteran guy who has been here for a while. It’s all about just stepping up as a leader and just acknowledging what we have in front of us. It’s all about finish. We got to finish. There’s so much left for the football season. We have to get everyone together and have a like-mindedness. We just need to keep on competing. We have to seize every opportunity. I am worried about Auburn.”
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer commended Milroe for “battling” through mistakes after the pick-6 and pointed to factors outside his control contributing to his performance.
