Throughout the week, with Bryce Young’s game status in question, his backup Jalen Milroe heard a consistent message from both Young and Alabama’s offensive coaches: take one play at a time.

Milroe listened to it as the crowd in Bryant-Denny Stadium welcomed him with cheers as he jogged onto the field for his opening drive and throughout a scoreless first quarter. He also had to listen to it following his first touchdown and the three turnovers that followed, each of which handed Texas A&M momentum and nearly led to an upset.

“Jalen did some good things but obviously a couple turnovers,” Tide head coach Nick Saban said. “He’s going to live and learn. We’re gonna live and learn with him.”

A week after Young sprained his shoulder and Milroe was tasked with outlasting a rally at an SEC road game, the Tide had a week to prepare the redshirt freshman for Texas A&M, his first start. The nail-biting 24-20 win showed the expected — Milroe ran for 83 yards on 17 attempts, Jahmyr Gibbs led the ground game with 154 yards — but also some causes for concern.

Milroe went 12-for-19 as a passer for three touchdowns and one interception. His 111 yards was the lowest for a Tide quarterback since Jalen Hurts and punter JK Scott combined for 103 at Auburn in 2017.

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On a night when Alabama faced another second-string quarterback and feasted upon Texas A&M’s offensive line, its own miscues (including a Jase McClellan fumble) cracked the window. Milroe’s fumbles turned into 14 points. Three of Alabama’s four final drives also ended on A&M’s side of the field.

Facing Tennessee next weekend and moving forward, the Tide’s margin for error with Young sidelined remains thin.

“It’s relative to how do we protect him, how do we run the routes, how do we get open,” Saban said about evaluating Milroe as a passer. ” … I think he did a good job making some plays scrambling with his feet. But we had 111 yards passing and that’s certainly not our goal. So something in the passing game needs to get better. I’m not putting it all on him, I’m just saying we need to do a better job in protection, route running and we need to do a better job of being able to make good decisions in the pocket so we don’t have negative plays.”

One of Milroe’s worst snaps mirrored his best. On a third-and-2 at the Aggies’ 17-yard line, A&M blitzed and Milroe tried to scramble but lost 12 yards. Will Reichard missed the ensuing 47-yard field goal. But earlier in the game, in a similar scenario, Milroe bid his time in the pocket on a three-man route and exploded forward for 33 yards.

Milroe’s second touchdown came via a run-pass option in the second quarter. Milroe noticed the linebackers flooding to Gibbs after a long gain, so Milroe kept it and threw a strike to Jermaine Burton in front of the safety for a 35-yard catch-and-run. It was a play Alabama knew it could generate success on during the week, Milroe said.

“The ball can get there before my legs can. So any play it is, what I’m looking to do is throw the ball,” Milroe said. “No matter what play it is, just throw the ball. It’s pass, then my legs and if I can extend my legs to help the team out, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Some of the quarterback-designed run schemes Saban’s hinted at earlier in the fall, the plays Milroe can excel at over Young, were on display. Tight ends Cameron Latu and Amari Niblack blocked for a 14-yard keeper in the first quarter. Milroe evaded the rush and ran for 14 yards on the following snap.

He’ll need more of that moving forward and less of the unease he flashed in the pocket. Milroe waited too long before chucking a deep try downfield and into double coverage for his second interception of the season on 46 throws. When asked about the improvements he’s planning on making during the week, Milroe said it has to come in “complete quarterbacking.”

After Alabama forced an incompletion on A&M’s last drive, Milroe found Young, who was dressed in full uniform, for a postgame hug and celebration. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough on Saturday night.

“We had to flush (the turnovers).

“You come to Bama for games like this,” Milroe said. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to have fun. Football is an enjoyable sport. I love it.”

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].