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Getting benched at USF was turning point for Milroe

In this week’s edition of Tide Takes, Alabama just secured its biggest win of the season, and its quarterback is developing into someone the Crimson Tide can depend on.

Looking back, the turning point of the season was Milroe being benched against South Florida.

With how the team has played since, it’s easy to forget now. But after a loss against Texas where Jalen Milroe was dreadful followed by a benching and a terrible team performance against South Florida on the road, many people, including myself, wrote this team off.

It simply seemed like Alabama did not have the talent to not only compete for a national championship this season, but maybe not even to avoid Nick Saban’s worst season at Alabama since 2007.

RELATED: Milroe Magic: Tide gets revenge on LSU for control of SEC West

When Jalen Milroe was benched and Alabama responded with its worst performance of the season against a vastly inferior opponent, a few things became clear. The most obvious being that the Crimson Tide had a long way to go in order to be competitive in the SEC.

But what became most clear was the fact that for better or worse, Milroe was the best option Alabama had at quarterback. And since then, Milroe has done nothing but get better every single week, and it seems as if the team as a whole has followed a similar path.

Milroe has cut down on turnovers, become more effective as a passer, and is now using his legs more effectively as well.

RELATED: Bryant-Denny decibel record broken during win over LSU

Saturday night in Bryant-Denny was a masterclass from Jalen Milroe — his best performance in an Alabama uniform to date. He took off when he was supposed to, he hit open receivers, and most importantly, he took advantages of the weaknesses in the LSU defense.

If Milroe can continue to improve and the defense can keep limiting opposing offenses, the ceiling of this team has still yet to be reached.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP

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