Alabama football decided to stick with Jalen Milroe at quarterback even with all the struggles the signal caller had in the first quarter.

He fumbled twice and threw an interception in the opening frame. Michigan turned Alabama’s disastrous first quarter into a 19-13 victory over the Crimson Tide on Tuesday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

DeBoer was asked postgame if he considered a change at quarterback during the game.

“No I didn’t,” DeBoer said. “There’s things he still did. We scored the field goal with him using his legs. We went 95-plus yards in less than a minute. Just that factor and what we needed with him and his mobility added to the run game. I felt like that was the swap right there. The interception early, a lot of those incompletions happened in down and distances that weren’t favorable. Or backs to the wall and have to throw the ball at the end of the first half, the end of the second here …. I thought there was still a lot of good plays he made too. I saw a fighter. The fight in his eyes. As long as I see that, I want to hang in there with the guys this program means a lot to.”

Alabama started the game with the ball and gained a first down on the first drive. But the offense quickly sputtered and Milroe was sacked on fourth-and-4 from the Michigan 45-yard line.

The Wolverines responded to the solid field position by kicking a field goal to go up 3-0.

Then the pouring rain started. The very first play on Alabama’s next offensive drive, Milroe fumbled the snap and Michigan recovered.

Then Michigan kicked another field goal.

The next Alabama drive, Milroe threw an interception on the second play. Michigan followed it up with a touchdown. 13-0 Wolverines.

The next Alabama drive, Milroe was sacked and fumbled on the first play. Michigan ball. And then the Wolverines kicked another field goal to go up 16-0.

“I think there were some elements at play,” DeBoer said. “Even the pick, that’s a really nice play. You throw it maybe two inches out further and it’s a catch for us. I’m not sure if we run out of bounds or what there, but they made a nice play. You guys were there. You saw the elements on the snap. You’ve got to field it. You can’t turn it over.”

Michigan seldom did much with the prime field position, getting the ball in Alabama territory most of the time in that first quarter. The Crimson Tide defense made the most of a difficult situation in the opening quarter.

“They didn’t have to really press until the rain kind of moved through,” DeBoer said. “That certainly didn’t help us. Kind of dug ourselves in a rut.”

Alabama somewhat climbed out of it. By halftime, the Crimson Tide had strung together a field-goal drive and a touchdown drive to draw within 16-10. Alabama needed just one more touchdown and it couldn’t get it the rest of the game.

The Crimson Tide even had a drive late in the final minutes that reached the red zone. But Milroe had four straight passes fall incomplete. And Alabama turned the ball over on downs. Michigan then kneeled it out for the win.

“I just wish we could have done something there at the end of the third quarter, beginning of the fourth quarter where we get maybe a field goal,” DeBoer said.

Milroe finished the game completing 16 of 32 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran 16 times for seven yards, but that accounts for sack yardage. Michigan finished the day with five sacks as the Alabama offensive line often struggled.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.