Alabama football coach Nick Saban said that Jalen Milroe has earned the right to be the team's starting quarterback after Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson struggled against Southern Florida on Saturday, according to John Talty of 247 Sports.
Jalen Milroe got some criticism for his play in Alabama football's loss to Texas. Nick Saban gave Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson playing time on Saturday against South Florida. Buchner completed 5-of-14 passes for 34 yards, while Simpson completed 5-of-9 for 73 yards. Alabama beat South Florida 17-3. So while Alabama came away with the win, Saban also saw what he needed to declare Milroe the starting quarterback.
The game against South Florida was a chance for Saban and his staff to evaluate the quarterback position against a weaker opponent before conference play started.
The Crimson Tide will have their first SEC game against Ole Miss at home this upcoming week. Ole Miss is currently 3-0 with wins over Mercer, Tulane and Georgia Tech. This week will be a big test for Lane Kiffin's team, and a win could indicate that the Rebels are serious this year.
Despite the loss to Texas, Alabama does have a route to make the College Football Playoff. That route is through getting to the SEC championship game and winning it.
It will be up to Milroe to be play well enough and limit mistakes for the Crimson Tide to get there.
There were some good things from Milroe in the first couple of games, but it really comes down to avoiding those killer turnovers at crucial moments. It will be interesting to see how the Crimson Tide fare this season with Milroe under center.