This is an opinion column

Jalen Milroe made Crash Davis proud Saturday night.

The fictional minor league catcher played by Kevin Costner in the classic Bull Durham famously schooled a young pitching prodigy on the art of interview answers. He had Nuke LaLoosh take notes on the greatest hits from “playing one game at a time” to “I’m just happy to be here.” Tim Robbins’ character complained they were boring.

“Of course they’re boring,” Davis said. “That’s the point.”

Later in the film, they cut to LaLoosh firing off the cliches one at a time after getting called up to the bigs. The team bus media training worked because the idea is to make your money on the field instead of the newspapers.

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To be clear, Milroe was never the hothead LaLoosh was but he knew the same truth behind the message. It’s one he learned from Bryce Young, his predecessor who spoke regularly with the press without revealing much. He wasn’t going to cost his team in front of a microphone when the action that matters comes behind his center.

Milroe took the same approach Saturday night when his five-touchdown performance in Alabama’s 56-7 beating of MTSU appeared to solidify his role atop the depth chart — at least for now. The fact Milroe even appeared in the media room, surrounded by the ravenous, depth-chart-consuming local press says a lot.

Somewhere Davis and Young were smiling.

Milroe did nothing to hurt his candidacy for the full-time role Saturday night. He handled every question exactly how they wanted — holding his poise until getting a curveball at the end. More on that later but first, behold the discipline.

Q: Overall, how do you think you played?

A: “Overall, it wasn’t clean. There are a lot of things that we still need to improve on to be where we are as a team. We just want to get 1% better. So we’ll enjoy the win. They were a tough opponent. So we’re going to take the 24-hour rule like we say here. Enjoy the win, no matter what. We got the win so we’ll enjoy it and move on.”

Q: How was your performance?

A: “Overall, I need to get better. As a leader, I need to get better overall at what I’m doing. I just want to continue to build and be the best version of myself.”

Q: What about that wild, first touchdown on the botched snap?

A: “Honestly, it was all set up by my team. I was fortunate to pick the ball up and make a play with it but it was all about what the other 10 guys on the field did to get me into the end zone.”

It went on from there, crediting teammates, respecting the opponent and getting 1% better one day at a time. Requests for specifics were artfully batted away, deferring grading of his performance to the coaches while noting he needs to improve “everything.”

To be clear, this isn’t shade for Milroe. It’s a tip of the cap.

But seriously, what about Texas?

He’s from Katy, just outside Houston, so this Saturday’s visit must be something special, yeah?

“Honestly, just another opponent on the schedule,” Milroe said. “Just day by day, try to improve and Saturday, our success is going to come from our preparation. So no matter the opponent, we’re just going to take it one day at a time.”

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Just a masterclass in answering the traditional questions. Confident and prepared, Milroe never hesitated.

“No, it’s just another game on the schedule,” was the reply to a second crack at the Texas question. “… You’re just blessed to play the game, no matter who it is, I’m blessed to play the game. Just like today, the first thing I do is be appreciative to be able to play football.”

Then, the curveball.

Q: Jalen, do you have any Texas fans in your extended family?

A: “Yeah.”

And this is where the printed (or digital) word doesn’t do it justice. Milroe’s calm demeanor broke and he cracked up laughing. See the video below for the full context.

A follow up pressed further if his immediate family were Longhorn fans. Again, he laughed as the script never included this line of questioning that extended to one about owning a Vince Young jersey.

“I did,” Milroe said through a sheepish smile.

So it’s fair to say the third-year sophomore followed the training perfectly but, deep down and possibly even if subconsciously, there might be some extra juice for Saturday night in Bryant-Denny.

But if one’s looking for the intangibles that separate a player from a leader — a guy from a dude — Milroe’s done practically everything Saban’s asked.

The coach told the QB room someone needed to take the bull by the horns and Milroe clearly did that by adding an improved passing touch to his explosive athleticism.

His performance in front of the lights, cameras, microphones and smartphones only confirmed it.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.