During Alabama HC Nick Saban’s Monday press conference, he touched on a litany of topics, including the Tide’s upcoming opponent, Tennessee, and quarterback Joe Milton III.
While answering a question on his thoughts about Milton, Saban said he doesn’t see how facing Milton will be much different than facing former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
“I don’t see Joe being a whole lot different than what we’ve played against in the past, when (Hendon) Hooker was there,” Saban said. “Guy can throw the ball, he’s accurate, he’s got a strong arm, they can make plays down the field, and they take a lot of vertical shots, so he’s certainly capable of making those plays. But he’s also athletic enough to extend plays in the pocket and run if necessary.”
Saban’s comments on Milton’s skillset are factual, but we haven’t seen the Volunteer quarterback live up to preseason expectations this year. And there’s certainly been a drop off in quarterback play on Rocky Top, going from Hooker to Milton.
Milton’s pocket presence has been lackluster this season, and his decision making has been far worse than Hooker’s was while at Tennessee. In six games, Milton has already thrown the same amount of interceptions (4) as Hooker did in all of his 22 starts in as a Vol.
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Milton ranks 12th in the SEC in passing yards, 14th in yards per pass attempt, 10th in completion percentage, 11th in QBR and is tied for third in interceptions. Tennessee has had their bye week, so his yardage numbers are a bit lower, but he still ranks 9th in yards per game.
Milton’s inefficiencies have hurt the Tennessee passing attack six games into the season, something that never happened in the Hendon Hooker era at Tennessee.
However, the potential for Milton to give any defense fits on any given week certainly there, and Saban knows that.
“You don’t tell them anything different than any other time they play a quarterback (like that),” Saban said regarding Alabama’s game plan for Milton. “You can’t get pushed by the quarterback. You have to keep the guy in front of you. We’ve got to have disciplined pass-rush lanes. Need to try to make the guy throw on time from the pocket, and hopefully we can cover them well enough to make it work on the back end.”
Saban and Alabama host Tennessee this weekend in hopes of avoiding a second consecutive loss to the Volunteers. Last season, the Vols upset Alabama, 52-49, in an instant classic in Neyland Stadium. Hooker threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns, all of which were caught by Jalin Hyatt, and Chase McGrath made a game-winning 40-yard field goal to seal the deal.
Seventeenth-ranked Tennessee will look to reignite last year’s magic in Tuscaloosa this weekend against the 11th-ranked Tide. Kickoff on CBS is set for 3:30 p.m. ET from Bryant-Denny Stadium.
