Alabama’s spring season has now come to a close as the Crimson team defeated the White team 30-21 on Saturday.
What was anticipated to be a showdown between quarterbacks Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson turned into a day dominated by Alabama’s defense as both had some highlights and lowlights.
Milroe finished the game completing 19-of-37 passes for 245 yards with two touchdowns along with 13 carries for 20 yards and a rushing touchdown. But turnovers were an issue for the redshirt sophomore as he threw two interceptions to the Crimson Tide’s first-team defense.
Milroe handed the ball away twice to the defense in the first half and struggled at times to find open receivers downfield due to the pressure let up by the offensive line. He was able to make some plays with his legs when things broke down which included an electrifying 35-yard rush for a touchdown.
Simpson started the game a bit more efficiently but had his own struggles passing downfield. A few drops from the second-team offense also contributed to some of the unit’s deficiencies on the day. The redshirt freshman ended the day completing 12-of-26 passes for 155 yards, with one interception and 58 rushing yards.
The biggest offensive performance came from freshman running back Justice Haynes who recorded a total of three touchdowns on the day. Nick Saban praised Haynes for his progression this spring and his play today may warrant some touches this fall.
But the most impressive unit of the day was Alabama’s first team defense led by senior Malachi Moore who showed out. Moore dominated as he led the way with nine tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and one pass breakup. Other first-team standouts were Quandarrius Robinson, Kristian Story, Caleb Downs and Terrion Arnold.
The pass rush from the first defense was overwhelming for the Crimson Tide’s retooled offensive line as it racked up two sacks as a unit.
The second-team defense added 0 sacks of its own along with some impressive plays from Dezz Ricks, Earl Little, Jake Pope and Justin Jefferson in coverage.
**This story will be updated.**
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
