Georgia defense struggles to contain Jalen Milroe
ATLANTA - Georgia's history with Alabama quarterbacks in Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a long and painful one for the Bulldogs.
Tua Tagovailoa broke Bulldog hearts in 2017. Jalen Hurts did the same the following year. Bryce Young unleashed a torrent of offense that led to a Crimson Tide victory in 2021.
Now, Jalen Milroe has joined that club. His performance keyed Alabama's offense in another Crimson Tide victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, this time a 27-24 win over the Bulldogs.
It's fair to say Milroe's stats were not jaw-dropping. He completed 13-of-23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he racked up 29 yards on 14 attempts, although those totals include sacks.
But more than the pure numbers, it proved to be the timeliness of Milroe's big plays that broke Georgia's back.
In the second quarter, Milroe found running back Jam Miller for a 28-yard touchdown on a first-and-20. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart referred to that play as a busted coverage.
Late in the first half, Alabama led by three, facing a fourth-and-4 in Georgia territory. Milroe stood in the pocket and fired downfield, where a sliding Isaiah Bond came up with a 22-yard reception for the first down.
Two plays later, Milroe made the most of good pass protection and found Jermaine Burton in the end zone for a score. That put the Crimson Tide up 17-7 at halftime.
"He’s very athletic, very smart, a very good quarterback," defensive back Malaki Starks said. "Just having to be able to trap and keep him in, because he can make explosive plays with his arm but also with his legs, we’ve just got to execute the plan better."
Georgia kept the Alabama offense in check for most of the second half. But when Alabama needed Milroe to make plays to close out a title, he answered again.
The Crimson Tide took over with 10:16 remaining and leading by three points. Milroe then engineered a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive over 4:29. On that possession Milroe completed all four of his pass attempts for 57 yards.
"That’s us on the back end not matching the right patterns and, like I said, letting people run free," defensive back Tykee Smith said. "That was us on the back end. We’ve got to take that in as a whole."
Milroe then utilized his legs to put the game on ice.
Alabama led by three and started a drive with 2:52 left. On the first play, Milroe broke a 30-yard run on a quarterback keeper. Later in the possession, he rushed for nine yards on a second-and-8 to seal the game for good.
It wasn't a phenomenal game from Milroe for all 60 minutes. But when his team needed him, he delivered time and time again.
As a result, Milroe now has an SEC championship on his starting quarterback resume.