TAMPA - Kalen DeBoer didn't hesitate. In fact, he didn't quite even wait for the end of the question, when asked after a disappointing 19-13 loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl whether he considered pulling struggling QB Jalen Milroe out of the game.
"No, I didn't," the Alabama football coach said. "I just felt like ... there are things he still did, we scored a field goal with him using his legs – we went (90) yards in a minute (before halftime). Just that factor, and what we needed with him and what his mobility added to the run game. I felt like that was the swap right there. (He had) the interception early and a lot of those incompletions happened in down-and-distances that weren't favorable. ... I thought there were a lot of good plays he made, too."
Milroe completed 16 of 32 passes against the Wolverines for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also lost two fumbles, one on a mishandled shotgun snap and another on a strip sack, all in the first quarter.
DeBoer, however, didn't consider turning to backup Ty Simpson .
"I saw the fighter, the fight in his eyes, and as long as I see that, I'm going to hang in there with the guys this program means a lot to," DeBoer added.
The offensive debacle in the first quarter gave the outcome away to a Michigan offense that wasn't very effective without turnover help. UM built a 16-0 lead off the turnovers, and hung on to win 19-13 with just 190 yards of total offense.
Milroe, a team captain, thanked DeBoer after the game for having the confidence to stay with him despite his struggles. He is expected to enter the NFL draft rather than return to Alabama for a fifth season, but declined to confirm that after the game.
Simpson, meanwhile, figures to enter the offseason as UA's top quarterback despite a lack of game experience. He appeared in six games in 2024, throwing just 25 passes.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football's DeBoer explains why he didn't bench Jalen Milroe
