Alabama heeds Saban’s call to avoid ‘trap,’ back in SEC title game

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Nick Saban is serious about “rat poison” infecting his Alabama football team, especially when he senses a trap game looming ahead. ‘horizon.

His No. 8 Crimson Tide didn’t take the bait Saturday in a dominant 49-21 road win over Kentucky, earning an appearance in the SEC championship game and seeing off quarterback Jalen Milroe taking 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 some time and he’ll work his magic,” Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker said of Milroe, who has 10 touchdowns in his last two games.

Alabama (9-1, 7-0 SEC) has won eight straight games after losing at home to Texas in Week 2. And after back-to-back wins against nationally ranked opponents LSU and Tennessee, Saban was wary of that. a trap game for the tide. So when the players returned to the football complex earlier this week, they found real 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 just look around the facilities and don’t get caught up in them. I mean, think about it. When you look at all that and all the external factors, and after having two big wins – like coach says Saban – it’s human nature to be happy.”

Arnold, who had an interception and a forced fumble in the game, joked that he didn’t know who was the one who set all the rat traps, but pointed out that they were real “traps wooden… and that they contained a little cheese”.

“I’m a bit of, as you would say, an adventurer, so I reached out to see if it really worked and it really did. … I got blown up, right here, on my finger,” Arnold said . said. “Coach Saban reiterated that it was like a trap game and not to fall for it. We knew what the message was.”

The Crimson Tide’s message was loud and clear Saturday. They took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and led 28-7 at halftime. Milroe scored six of his seven touchdowns in the game, and Alabama’s defense held Kentucky (6-4, 3-4) to 176 total yards until Ramon Jefferson broke off a 74-yard run with the Tide leading 49-14 midway through the fourth. quarter. Additionally, Alabama was playing without three starters. Linebacker Deontae Lawson and defensive back Jaylen Key were injured, and receiver Jermaine Burton was ill and did not make the trip.

Alabama, which faces Chattanooga at home next week before traveling to Auburn to finish the regular season, will be making its seventh trip to the SEC championship game in the last 10 years. Even Saban wondered aloud Saturday how many people would have predicted that much in September.

“I think there were probably very few people after the Texas game or the South Florida game, a lot of opponents, that really believed in those guys,” Saban said. “But I’ve always believed in this team and had faith in this team to become something special, and this has been special. It’s been a great experience to watch them grow and develop a trust with which you must play.”

Saban has used the word “fun” to describe coaching this team several times this season, and while he never got caught up in outside expectations, he said it felt right from the start. different. While he said it was more of a relief to get players to where they needed to be to succeed in the past because of such glaring expectations surrounding the program, that hasn’t been the case 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 felt like every day we were just trying to teach them lessons that would help them grow and develop and they did a great job of that.

“I had no expectations of them or myself, and they kind of blew it in terms of the quality of their performances.”

No player played a bigger role in Alabama’s improvement than Milroe, who didn’t even play the week after Texas lost in a tough 17-3 win over South Carolina. Florida. But he’s settled in and it’s especially difficult for opposing defenses to defend him now that he’s running more and gaining time with his rushing ability. 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 Milroe kept playing.

“Well, you saw their quarterback … a dynamic threat to pass the ball, and he bought time and found explosive plays down the field,” Stoops said.

Tua Tagovailoa is the only Alabama quarterback to throw 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 been growing, and our production and our performance has kind of reflected that confidence,” Saban said.

Milroe said it was “far from a finished product” and that there were many things to correct. His only interception Saturday came when he was rushing and making a bad decision. He also suffered a play in the first quarter, was helped off the field, then returned the next play.

“I think experience is the best teacher, so the more reps I have, the more opportunities I have, and I think I see everything a lot better,” Milroe said.

Key, one of Milroe’s closest friends on the team, said he’s glad he doesn’t have to face an opposing quarterback with Milroe’s speed.

“He’s probably the fastest player on the team, besides me,” Arnold said, smiling.

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 a.m. some mornings.

“You see all the hard work pay off. … I’m just happy to see him go out there and execute it and have fun with it,” Arnold said.