What did Hugh Freeze and Auburn’s players say about defending Alabama QB Jalen Milroe?

Auburn’s defense hasn’t faired great against dual threat quarterbacks this season.

New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia gave Auburn a headache last Saturday as he and the Aggies upset the Tigers 31-10 in a stunning loss.

Pavia passed for 201 yards on a 19-for-28 passing performance, which featured three touchdown passes.

On the ground, Pavia added 35 yards on eight carries, but constantly kept the Tigers’ defense on its toes as Pavia was able to extend a number of other plays with his legs.

Weeks prior, the Tigers’ defense struggled against LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

And Auburn knows the task only gets taller this week as it prepares for another dual threat quarterback in Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.

“Jalen Milroe is an extremely good quarterback, man,” said Auburn linebacker Eugen Asante. “I’ve been watching those games throughout the season. I think I got to catch the LSU game and he was dominant. Somebody that can kill you with his feet and with his arm.”

Milroe has started in 10 of Alabama’s 11 games this season, only missing the Crimson Tide’s matchup against USF on Sept. 16, when Alabama head coach Nick Saban gave the starting nod to Ty Simpson as he still tried to pin down Alabama’s indefinite starter.

Ahead of Alabama’s SEC opener against Ole Miss, Saban tossed the keys to his offense to Milroe, who has been in command ever since.

On the season, Milroe has passed for more than 2,260 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. All while completing his passes at a 66.3% clip.

With his legs, Milroe has added more than 570 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“We have to have rush integrity. We have to corral him more (in the) pocket. Crush the pocket. Not giving him escape lanes,” Asante said. “In terms of myself, when I’m in coverage or if I’m on him, making sure I get to him. Close the space, because certainly he’s somebody that’s dynamic with his legs.”

As of late, Milroe has been on a tear.

Dating back to Alabama’s matchup against LSU, Milroe has been responsible for 13 touchdowns – six through the air and seven with his legs – in his last three games.

In those same performances, Milroe has tallied 650 passing yards while completing 70% of his passes and has rushed for 190 yards.

And to be frank, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze knows Alabama’s sophomore quarterback is bound to give the Tigers’ defense trouble.

“You know, we did not fare well against a kid similar to him down in LSU,” Freeze said Monday, comparing Milroe to LSU’s Daniels.

Against Auburn, Daniels passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns, all while tacking on another 97 yards with his legs during LSU’s dominant, 48-18 win.

“And now (Milroe) is playing at a very high level with good receivers and good running backs. It’s a very difficult task for sure. I don’t know that you completely do that,” Freeze said when asked about stopping Milroe. “You gotta hope that you do limit those explosive plays somewhat, but stopping him? No one’s really done that.”

When looking at the challenge top to bottom, a certain number sticks out to the Auburn defense: 33.

Milroe has been sacked 33 times this season with Texas, Texas A&M and Arkansas all getting Milroe to the turf at least five times.

“We gotta contain him, because the past few games he’s been having some great numbers,” said Auburn Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod. “We gotta make sure we neutralize him early and make sure we get after the O-Line because he’s been sacked a lot this whole season.”

Meanwhile, Milroe himself is growing to be a lot more confident in his offensive line.

“We constantly have a growing offense. It starts up front. That’s the foundation of our offense,” Milroe said of his protection. “What I can say about those guys is they’re hungry and they’re constantly wanting to build.”

If Auburn can find a way to tally sacks against Alabama, great for the Tigers.

But more than anything, the Tigers’ focus remains plastered on containing Milroe in the pocket. If they can do that, they’re confident in their abilities against the passing game.

“It’s going to be good. You’ve got to contain the quarterback, and as a defensive back, this is the game you want,” said Auburn defensive back Keionte Scott. “With us containing the quarterback, that means he’s going to be in the pocket and throwing the ball. Knowing that in our heads means we have to prepare to stop the passing attack and make the game one-dimensional. Just slow the game down to come out victorious.”