Vince Young was there. Jalen Milroe’s childhood hero, the quarterback from Houston who brought the Katy, Tx. native’s old favorite team to national championship glory in 2006, the one who wore the No. 10 jersey that the Alabama signal-caller had a replica of.

There he was on the field after Milroe’s Alabama football team fell to Texas 34-24 at Bryant Denny Stadium. Not in that No. 10 he was wearing while scampering past the Southern Cal defense on his way to immortality, but there all the same, clad in a white UT hoodie and shaking Nick Saban’s hand on the field as the current Longhorns celebrated around him.

What he witnessed from Milroe was a performance that captured the full spectrum of what the quarterback has to offer.

“I gotta do better,” Milroe said to reporters after the game. “I gotta improve. I gotta protect the ball. I gotta continue to lead and just learn. Just learn from it, grow from it and just understand that there’s always more work to do.”

It wasn’t just Milroe’s fault. His offensive line was shaky throughout the night and the Crimson Tide defense got toasted by Quinn Ewers and the stable of Texas wide receivers.

And sure, the quarterback threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns. It could have been four, with Alabama squandering two scores from Milroe to Jermaine Burton with offensive line penalties.

But he also threw two ugly interceptions. At one point, Alabama head coach Nick Saban considered pulling him.

“I can’t sit here and say that the thought doesn’t come to mind for any player that’s having a difficult time,” Saban said. “But he made some good plays at the end of the game and that was good to see.”

Milroe convinced Saban to keep him in the game with his first touchdown pass of the night. On that one, he had enough time to fling it long to Burton, hitting the receiver in stride in the end zone, for a 49-yard score.

His second touchdown came in the fourth quarter, a 39-yard catch-and-run by tight end Amari Niblack. Milroe also made several nice plays with his legs, finishing as Alabama’s second-leading rusher with 44 yards.

There’s good to be had with Milroe.

Every play is an adventure, one that could end with a massive touchdown. He can have games like he did in the opener against Middle Tennessee State, where he put five scores on the board and shared the SEC’s offensive player of the week award.

But his inconsistency cost Alabama, especially on his second interception. That one came in the fourth quarter, with the Crimson Tide desperately needing points when Jerrin Thompson picked off Milroe at the UA 37 and ran it all the way back to the five-yard line.

Alabama faces South Florida on the road next before starting SEC play with Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa. Saban made it clear before the season that he would make a change at quarterback if one of the group struggles, leaving the door open for Tyler Buchner, Ty Simpson or Dylan Lonergan to grab Milroe’s spot.

But after the game, Milroe said he’s not looking over his shoulder.

“No, not necessarily,” He said when asked. “I’m just looking to improve and get better. I know i can trust in my coaching staff wanting me to get better and then giving me the right resources to improve.”