Jalen Milroe Praised for Stellar 2nd Half as No. 11 Alabama Rallies Past Tennessee

The No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide scored 27 unanswered second-half points to overcome a 20-7 halftime deficit and defeat the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers 34-20 at Tuscaloosa's Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Alabama quarterback Jalin Milroe led the Crimson Tide on four consecutive scoring drives, leading to 20 points.

His 46-yard touchdown toss to Isaiah Bond helped cut the UT lead to 20-14 in the first minute of the third quarter.

A Will Reichard 42-yard field goal cut the Tennessee lead in half before the Alabama defense came up big with a turnover on downs at midfield.

Milroe then led Alabama on a game-winning 47-yard drive where he found Jermaine Burton for 22 yards before a 13-yard scamper put Alabama at the five-yard line. Jase McClellan did the rest.

After another Alabama stop, the Crimson Tide engineered a clock-killing 15-play, 56-yard drive (7:51) that ended with a Reichard 50-yard field goal.

The defense then continued the onslaught when Chris Braswell sacked UT quarterback Joe Milton III, leading to a Jihaad Campbell scoop-and-score.

The comeback win was the result of all three phases playing complementary football and doing their parts, but Milroe's leadership and ownership of the offense stood out.

Milroe didn't have a good first half by any means, completing 10-of-14 passes for 117 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was also sacked three times.

But Milroe turned it around against a tough Tennessee squad. In the second half, Milroe went 4-of-7 for 103 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 29 yards.

Those aren't the gaudiest of numbers, but with his team's backs against the wall, Milroe confidently led the Crimson Tide to four scoring drives that squashed UT's momentum entirely.

Fans and analysts heaped praise on the Crimson Tide quarterback as he engineered the big win.

The 7-1 Crimson Tide will now get a week off before returning home to host LSU on Nov. 4.