Jalen Milroe - Alabama still 'work in progress' after win vs. Ole Miss - ESPN

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 13 Alabama second-half rally to beat No. 15 Ole Miss on Saturday signaled to Crimson Tide starting quarterback Jalen Milroe that his team might have turned a page.

«We do have our swagger back,» he said, «but we have to acknowledge that we got a lot of work to do. We got a lot of work to do to reach all of our short-term goals and long-term goals. So we're work in progress.

»But I will say this: that we are hungry to improve and we're excited for what the future holds."

Milroe started the SEC home opener a week after being benched against USF. The redshirt sophomore completed 17 of 21 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 28 yards.

Asked whether Alabama showed it was still a championship-caliber team, Milroe instead called themselves a «work in progress.»

«We're going to continue to grow and acknowledge that we need more room to improve,» he added. «And I trust in the guys in the locker room. There's no one I do not trust. I trust the coaches to put a great game plan together — offense and defense, special teams. And we have a great team and I love each one of those guys.»

Alabama coach Nick Saban said that Milroe made a bad read on that first-half interception but «other than that, he played really well» and «showed a lot of leadership out there.»

Milroe was hit hard and had the wind knocked out of him as he threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hale that extended the Alabama lead to 10 points in the third quarter.

«You're a point guard,» Saban said of Milroe and playing the quarterback position. «So you can't turn the ball over and you have to get assists. If you have one turnover, don't let it lead to two and just keep executing and believing and trusting in