The 2024 Rose Bowl was a tough night for Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide. Despite his best efforts, Milroe couldn’t quite pull off a win. He made a great attempt though, scooping up a low snap and running, but was tackled just short at the 2-yard line. Well, it was a heartbreaking overtime loss that Crimson Tide fans will remember for a long time.

Nick Saban, clearly disappointed with the 27-20 loss to the Michigan Wolverines, kept his composure, saying, “You gotta win with class. You gotta lose with class.” Now, several months later, Milroe is opening up about how he felt that night.

On The Pivot Podcast, Milroe talked about his emotions after the game. He described having two conflicting feelings. “First emotion is immediate off of that play,” he recalled. Milroe and his then-offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, went for a risky last-minute play that ultimately decided the game. “There’s no one on the field that could’ve changed anything that happened besides me,” he said, still feeling the sting of the loss.

However, Milroe didn’t dwell on the loss. He said how he gave it his all preparing for the game against Jim Harbaugh’s team. “I barely got any sleep, I’m preparing for this opponent,” he said, acknowledging the effort he made.

Despite his initial reaction to the defeat, Milroe feels “appreciative in that moment” for the trust his team placed in him. He even recalls how “Nobody flinched” when he made the play. Looks like, despite the loss, Milroe found a silver lining and handled it like a pro. On the other hand, the Rose Bowl winners are struggling to make it this year!

Jalen Milroe’s opponents are feeling the heat

Jim Harbaugh certainly built a championship-worthy team at Michigan. With his fav QB, JJ McCarthy, leading the way, the Wolverines had a perfect 15-0 season. However, this win is marred by controversy due to a sign-stealing scandal from last year. Reports swirled that Harbaugh and his staff were involved in stealing signals from opponents, which fueled their success. And after Michigan’s Rose Bowl victory, Jalen Milroe was asked about the scandal, but he didn’t lose his track. He responded, “It don’t matter… they won,” showing his maturity and moving past the drama.

But now, Michigan is facing serious NCAA investigations, and their current season isn’t going well, too. The once-perfect team is now 1-1, which has damaged their standing as a top dawg. CFB expert Joel Klatt even placed Milroe’s Alabama at 8th in his top 10 list, while Michigan didn’t make the cut. Klatt commented, “Michigan should not be there,” reflecting the current doubts about their performance.

Well, Michigan’s struggles were quite visible with their 31-12 loss to the Texas Longhorns last week. They only managed a touchdown in the last minute of the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Alabama, despite their Rose Bowl loss, is still strong with a 2-0 start to their season.