The Alabama Crimson Tide dug themselves an early hole in a 19-13 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday, as quarterback Jalen Milroe turned the ball over on three of the program's first four drives of the game, leading to Wolverines points each time—and an early 16-0 deficit.
But, despite Milroe's struggles, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters after the game that he never considered benching the junior signal-caller.
"No, I didn't. There's things that he did. We scored a field goal with him using his legs," DeBoer said. "We went 95 yards in less than a minute. So just that factor and what we needed with him and his mobility added to the run game, I felt like that was the swap."
"The interception early … I thought there were still a lot of good plays he made, too. I saw the fight in his eyes. And as long as I see that I want to hang in there with the guys that this program means a lot to."
Milroe rebounded in the second quarter, leading the Crimson Tide on two scoring drives to cut the deficit to 16-10. But Alabama was unable to sustain the momentum from the second quarter into the second half, mustering just a field goal to ultimately fall in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The engine of the Tide's offense, its vaunted rushing attack, was stifled by Michigan's fourth-ranked run defense, and Alabama seemingly had no counterattack.
Despite the disappointing finish, DeBoer believes his first season as coach of the program can be a successful first step as long as the team learns from the mistakes made in the loss to the Wolverines.
And Milroe? The Katy, Tx., native with one year of eligibility remaining was tight-lipped about his future plans, declining to say whether or not he'd declare for the 2025 NFL draft or return to the Crimson Tide for one more season in Tuscaloosa.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kalen DeBoer Details Why He Didn't Bench Struggling Jalen Milroe in ReliaQuest Bowl.
