Alabama’s Milroe is unfazed by Auburn’s Riddick’s comments

Things got a little heated in the Iron Bowl leading up to Saturday’s game, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe subtly entered the fray on Tuesday when asked about Auburn freshman linebacker Demarcus Riddick’s pointed comments.

“I don’t know who that is,” said a smiling Milroe. “I mean, let him talk. That’s part of it. It’s about implementing what we need to do so we can give our best this weekend. But yeah, good for him.”

Riddick made the first move on Monday when he said, among other things, that Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams “isn’t a big player to me” and that “I’ve never lost to every opposing team I’ve played against, and I won’t lose to Bama as long as I’m here.

Additionally, Riddick disapproved of Milroe’s ability to make plays in the running game. Milroe leads Alabama with 615 rushing yards and is second among all FBS quarterbacks with 17 rushing touchdowns.

“He’s a good quarterback. He’s fast,” Riddick said. “But I mean, he’s not faster than me. He’s not going to get out of that box this week.”

Alabama (8-3, 4-3) suffered a surprising 24-3 loss to Oklahoma, dealing a serious blow to the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes. To have a chance of getting into the 12-team field, they’ll need to beat Auburn and likely need some help.

In its last two losses to Oklahoma and Tennessee, Alabama failed to score more than 17 points. Milroe accounted for one touchdown and five turnovers in those games. He threw three interceptions against the Sooners.

“It’s simple things we have to do as an offense,” Milroe said of what plagued the Crimson Tide last week. “You can’t highlight just one person. It’s about doing our best together as a group and doing the simple things. This allows us to be the best offense we can be.”

This will be Milroe’s fourth Iron Bowl. A year ago, he was the star of the game when he launched a fourth-and-31 touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond in the final seconds to give Alabama a 27-24 win.

“We play for the state of Alabama, for our families, for the guys in the locker room, but this game means a lot to a lot of people,” Milroe said.

Alabama has won four straight in the series and eight of the last ten.

Auburn (5-6, 2-5) hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2010, the same year it won the national championship with Cam Newton at quarterback.