Jalen Milroe won MVP of the 2023 SEC Championship Game at the University of Alabama. ALABAMA CRUMSON TIDE Well. 8 The Alabama Crimson Tide arrived in Atlanta on Saturday night at an undisclosed location.
The Crimson Tide faced college football and the Giants in a game it was never meant to be. Wait, Alabama isn’t it David? The Crimson Tide is a Goliath and has been since head coach Nick Saban won his first SEC Western Crown in 2008. But that was not the role its script was meant to play in 2023. Despite a 29-game winning streak, an unstoppable power at tight end, a win last season and a significant crowd advantage, it wasn’t enough for the Bulldogs to win on Saturday.
Alabama won the 2023 SEC Championship over the Georgia Bulldogs 27-24 in a game where the Crimson Tide’s offense maintained just enough of a foothold on offense to stay in control for most of the game. Alabama opened the half with a 10-point lead as the Dawgs limited the offense to just 138 yards in the first half. The Crimson Tide’s offense took a while to get back into the game in the second half, but when Georgia cut Alabama’s lead to three with 10 minutes left, the Crimson Tide knew it. it was time to get to work.
One focus. That’s our biggest motto we’ve had in the game, singular focus and doing your job. It’s all in the answer andquot; Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe said after the win. andquot;The biggest thing that brings success to this team is the FAMILY acronym: Forget me, I love you. I think we are doing a very good job. It was about focusing on each position.
How did The Tide respond? A nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a Roydell Williams touchdown run pushed Alabama’s lead to 10 points. It wasn’t the offensive explosion the crowd saw when the Tide faced LSU, Kentucky or MTSU, but it was never like that against the No. 9 ranked team in the country. Milroe fell below his season averages in passing yards and passing yards per game and completion percentage. He completed just one of his first six passes, but the quarterback went 12-for-17 for 189 yards and two scores. He made sure that when Alabama took the lead with 1:36 left in the first quarter, they didn’t give it back. andquot;Every time they score, it’s our turn to respond. Let’s answer.
We took it literally,Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker said. andquot;We took it to heart. Every time they win, we have to win one. That was exactly the situation. We refused to lose. Victory was not an option today. We’ve come too far to come this far.andquot; So how did the Crimson Tide dig deep and respond to such a vaunted opponent? andquot;We just rely on the coaching staff to keep us going every day. We have a good leader right here next to me like Dallas who attacks by competing on the practice field.
There are many elements that will allow our team to continue pushing forward to the final stage. But we’re nowhere near the finish line. We’re constantly trying to improve, said Milroe. Steady improvement has been burning all season long and it shows when you watch this team play week in and week out. Milroe has been a microcosm of that recovery all year.
From throwing two interceptions to destroy the Crimson Tide to lifting Alabama against LSU, Kentucky and Auburn. On Saturday against the top team in the country and with the season on the line, it was the team that carried Milroet. He distributed the ball to eight players at different skill positions, both of his touchdown passes went to different players, and Alabama’s offensive line played well against a dangerous defensive front. In short, Milroe did exactly what Alabama head coach Nick Saban asked him all season.
Saban encouraged Milroe to put on his deliveryman’s hat and become a security guard. It took Milroe most of the season to get there, but one night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he described the improvement the Alabama football program saw during the season.
