TUSCALOOSA - In Alabama’s annual A-Day Game Saturday, the Crimson Team defeated the White team 30-21 in front of a crowd of 58,710 Alabama fans.
After a previous scrimmage in the spring, head coach Nick Saban mentioned that the scrimmage consisted of some up-and-down play, and Saturday’s scrimmage was a lot of the same, especially with the quarterback play.
Jalen Milroe had an up-and-down performance, throwing for 245 yards and two touchdowns, completing just 51% of 37 passes. Milroe also threw two interceptions with one coming on a meaningless hail mary attempt at the end of the half. Along with his 245 yards in the air, Milroe added 20 yards on the ground, including a 35-yard touchdown run in the first half.
Ty Simpson started at quarterback for the Crimson Team with an inconsistent performance through the air, throwing for just 155 yards and one interception, while completing just 46% of his 26 passing attempts. Like Milroe, Simpson also showed flashes with his scrambling ability, leading the Crimson Team in rushing yards with 58, with the bulk of his yards coming on a 45-yard scramble.
Malik Benson led all receivers with five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Benson scored late in the fourth quarter on a nine-yard pass from Jalen Milroe to trim the Crimson lead to nine points, but it wouldn’t be enough. Between the two squads, the quarterbacks distributed the ball around to 17 different receivers.
Talented freshman running back Justice Haynes was responsible for all three of the Crimson Team’s touchdowns, scoring two on the ground and one through the air. Saban has praised Haynes all spring, and he showed everyone why Saturday.
While the offense and quarterbacks showed inconsistency, the defense looked strong, tallying a total of 12 sacks and four interceptions between the two teams. Freshman safety Caleb Downs recorded eight tackles to go with an interception. Downs, like Haynes, is another talented freshman that Saban has praised during the spring. On Saturday, he made a great case to get some early playing time this season.
With neither quarterback really taking any giant steps forward, the quarterback battle looks like it will continue to spill over into the fall.
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