Jalen Milroe has certainly had his struggles this season, adding to what has been a rollercoaster of a career for the Alabama Football starting quarterback.
Some fans will defend Milroe to no end, excusing the fact that his apparent steep upward trajectory took a major dip in the month of October. Detractors will say that he has never been a good quarterback, ignoring that he finished 6th in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting and was the favorite for the award just four weeks ago.
Regardless of how polarizing Jalen Milroe has been both nationally and amongst the Alabama fan base, anyone objective must acknowledge that he is one of the most electric players in college football. When he plays to his potential, he is virtually unstoppable, as was confirmed by one of the best defensive minds in the game in Kirby Smart.
If his past performances are any indication, he should come close to that potential in Death Valley on November 9th.
Jalen Milroe off the bye
So far in his career, Milroe has started two games coming off of a bye week. Both were high-stakes matchups against quality opponents in No. 13 LSU and No. 2 Georgia, respectively.
Milroe led the Tide to wins in both games, posting the following stat lines:
vs LSU (2023): 15-23 passing, 219 yards, 20 rush attempts, 155 yards, 4 touchdowns
vs Georgia (2024): 27-33 passing, 374 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 16 rush attempts, 117 yards, 2 touchdowns
In total, he has gone 42-56 passing (75%) for 593 yards and 2 touchdowns, adding 36 attempts for 272 yards and 6 rushing scores. Just as importantly, he has committed just one turnover in those two games, an interception that went off the hands of his intended receiver.
Of course, bye weeks give Milroe and the rest of the offense additional time to prepare and gameplan for an opponent. So far, that extra week has been of substantial benefit to the quarterback.
Further, I think Milroe gets significant physical benefits from the off week. His running ability is what makes him such a dynamic player, and there have been moments in his career where he looked banged up and couldn’t capitalize on that advantage.
Last season, Milroe clearly wasn’t himself heading into the bye week. He was hesitant to run, and his three previous games had produced a jaw-dropping -47 yards on 28 carries. He regained his burst coming out of the bye, running for 191 yards and 7 touchdowns over the next two games, including a career day against LSU.
This season has followed a similar trajectory. While Milroe has shut down any rumors of an undisclosed injury, something obviously wasn’t right with the QB over the last month.
It was said on Finebaum earlier today that Jalen Milroe was “shocked” when he found out there was a narrative circling that he was injured.
— Sidelines - Bama (@SSN_Alabama) October 25, 2024
He had a little more juice against Missouri, as his 50 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry were his best numbers since the Georgia game. Still, it must be noted that the two most decisive and explosive rushing performances of his entire career came in his two starts off the bye week.
With Alabama’s back against the wall heading into November, look for Jalen Milroe to come out refreshed and put the team on his back.