Alabama football took care of business in their first clash of the 2023 campaign, and Jalen Milroe emerged as a dominant star for the Crimson Tide as a replacement for Bryce Young in a 56-7 rout of Middle Tennessee.

Head coach Nick Saban had previously refused to name a starter in the three-way QB battle, but Milroe played most of the game under center and after his showing, it is all but certain that he will keep the job going forward. He became the first QB in school history to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two more in the same game, but he is staying humble after his debut.

“I need to be better overall at what I'm doing,” Milroe said, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN. “I just want to continue to build and be the best version of myself when I take the field. So there's some things that I'm gonna look at with the coaching staff and with my teammates.”

The Crimson Tide came into the contest as 39-point favorites over Middle Tennessee, and performed about as expected in the nearly 50-point rout. Following the domination, they have opened as an early touchdown favorite over the Texas Longhorns in next Saturday night's clash.

“Saturday, our success on that day is gonna come from our preparation throughout the week,” Milroe added. “So no matter what the opponent is, we're just gonna take it on one day at a time.”

Milroe will have to deliver a similar showing to emerge victorious over Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns. They have a stacked roster that is expected to win the Big 12, and last year's matchup led to a last second field goal victory for the Tide. Similar fireworks are anticipated in the early season showdown in Tuscaloosa, and Milroe will have his first major test of his starting career.