LEXINGTON, Ky. — Nick Saban is all business when it comes to any “rat poison” infecting his Alabama football team, especially when he senses a trap game on the horizon.
His No. 8 Crimson Tide didn’t take the bait Saturday in a dominant 49-21 road win over Kentucky, clinching an SEC championship game appearance and seeing quarterback Jalen Milroe take his game to another level. He became the first Alabama quarterback to pass for three touchdowns and rush for three scores in a game.
“It’s exciting, because you give him time and he’s going to work his magic,” Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker said of Milroe, who has accounted for 10 touchdowns in his past two games.
Alabama (9-1, 7-0 in the SEC) has won eight straight contests after losing at home to Texas in Week 2. And after back-to-back wins over nationally ranked opponents LSU and Tennessee, Saban was leery of this being a trap game for the Tide. So when the players set foot back in the football complex earlier this week, they found actual rat traps scattered all over the locker room.
“Yeah, we had rat traps in the locker room,” redshirt sophomore cornerback Terrion Arnold said smiling and shaking his head. “We’re just going around the facility and not getting caught in them. I mean, think about it. When you look at all this and all the external factors, and coming off two big wins — as Coach Saban says — it’s human nature to be happy.”
Arnold, who had an interception and forced fumble in the game, joked he didn’t know who was the one putting out all the rat traps, but emphasized they were real “wooden traps … and had a little cheese.”
“I’m kind of, as they would say, like an adventurer, so I put my hand out to see if it really worked for real and it really did. … I got popped, right here on my finger,” Arnold said. “Coach Saban had reiterated that this was like a trap game and don’t get caught up in it. We knew what the message was.”
The Crimson Tide’s message was loud and clear Saturday. They jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and led 28-7 at the half. Milroe accounted for six of their seven touchdowns in the game, and Alabama’s defense held Kentucky to 176 total yards until Ramon Jefferson broke a 74-yard run with the Tide leading 49-14 midway through the fourth quarter. What’s more, Alabama was playing without three starters. Linebacker Deontae Lawson and defensive back Jaylen Key were out with injuries, and receiver Jermaine Burton was sick and didn’t make the trip.
Alabama, which faces Chattanooga at home next week before traveling to Auburn to end the regular season, will be making its seventh trip to the SEC championship game in the past 10 years. Even Saban wondered aloud Saturday how many people would have predicted as much back in September.
“I think there’s probably very few people after the Texas game or the South Florida game, a lot of naysayers out there, who really believed in these guys,” Saban said. “But I always believed in this team and trusted in this team that they would develop into something that’s special, and it has been special. It’s been a great experience to see them grow and develop a confidence that you need to play with.”
Saban has used the word “fun” to describe coaching this team repeatedly this season, and even though he has never gotten caught up in external expectations, he said this season had a different feel from the outset. Whereas he said it was more of a relief to get the players where they needed to be to have success in the past because of such gaudy expectations surrounding the program, it hasn’t been that way this season.
“I knew we could be good, I believed in them, but I knew it was going to be a work in progress,” Saban said. “So it was like every day we’re just trying to teach lessons that will help them grow and develop and they’ve done a great job of that.
“I didn’t put any expectations on them or myself, and they sort of blown it out the water in terms of how well they’ve done.”
No one player has played a larger role in Alabama’s improvement than Milroe, who didn’t even play the week after the Texas loss in the ragged 17-3 win over South Florida. But he’s settled in and making it especially difficult for opposing defenses to defend him now that he’s running more and buying time with his ability to scramble. Milroe has rushed for seven touchdowns in his last two games. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said they tried a little bit of everything to slow down Milroe and the Alabama offense, but that Milroe kept making plays.
“Well, you saw their quarterback … a dynamic threat to run the ball, and he bought time and found some explosive plays down the field,” Stoops said.
Tua Tagovailoa is the only Alabama quarterback to ever account for more touchdowns in a game than Milroe’s six; Tagovailoa had a school-record seven against Ole Miss in 2019.
“I think his confidence is growing, and I think the confidence of the players around him has grown, and our production and performance have sort of mirrored that confidence,” Saban said.
Milroe said he’s “nowhere near a finished product” and that there’s a lot he needs to fix. His only interception Saturday came when he was scrambling and made a poor decision. He also went down for a play in the first quarter, was helped off the field and then returned the next play.
“I think experience is the best teacher, so the more reps I get, the more opportunities I have, and I think I’m seeing everything much better,” Milroe said.
Key, one of Milroe’s closest friends on the team, said he’s glad he doesn’t have to deal with an opposing quarterback with Milroe’s speed.
“He’s probably the fastest player on the team, other than me,” Arnold said grinning.
Not only that, but Arnold said Milroe has become more of a student of the game and is in the complex watching film as early as 4:30 some mornings.
“You’re just seeing all the hard work pay off. … I’m just glad to see him going out there and executing and having fun with it,” Arnold said.
