Jermaine Burton followed his own advice on Saturday.

On Sept. 19, the Alabama football wide receiver was asked what guidance he’d give to a young player frustrated with their role. Burton kept it simple: Keep working. Sometimes a quiet performance happens, especially when a wideout can be game-planned against or not have his number called that game. The important thing, Burton stressed, was to stay prepared and know your time would come.

For Burton — following two catches over two weeks while battling a right foot injury — his time was Week 6 against Texas A&M.

The senior and former Georgia transfer nearly doubled his season stat line against the Aggies (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference). He caught a career-high 11 passes and totaled 197 yards, matching his best single-game output (Mississippi State, 2020). Burton also scored two second-half touchdowns as the Tide (5-1, 3-0) offense mounted a rally in its 26-20 win.

“Not gonna lie, I hated not being able to do what I could do and perform cause of my foot and whatnot,” Burton said postgame.

“That’s all I tell (Milroe): throw it. Like screw a landmark you’re trying to throw to, put it down there next to me and let me adjust.”

Burton’s playmaking has made him a favorite target of Milroe, in turn making Burton Alabama’s most consistent downfield threat. He currently ranked second on the team with 17 catches and leads in yards (386), receiving touchdowns (four) and average yards per completion (22.7). As Jalen Milroe set his own personal best in passing yards (32 on 21-of-33 attempts), he kept feeding Burton, a “key element” in expanding UA’s offense.

The Milroe-to-Burton connection shows future opponents that even if you manage to stop Alabama’s ground game — A&M limited UA to 23 yards on 26 carries — the Tide offense has the firepower to strike quickly.

Throughout the week, Burton said he scheduled extra treatment for his ailing foot after practice. He was “100%” against the Aggies, according to UA coach Nick Saban. Burton let his teammates know it, too. He said he was “feeling it” pregame as he challenged other white jerseys. Over 100,000 people wanted to storm the field, Burton reminded those around him. It was Alabama’s job to make them disappointed.

For Burton, if anything he was too eager when he committed a false start before Alabama could run its first offensive play. But his first of 13 targets would set the tone when Burton beat A&M’s Demani Richardson for a 45-yard snag. Alabama’s next series began with a similar shot to Burton, but that was broken up by Josh DeBerry. Milroe liked the matchup and found Burton again for a 21-yard pickup.

“We’ve always had a lot of faith, trust and confidence. He’s a big-play player,” Saban said. ” … We knew they were really good upfront and we would struggle with their front. But we felt like if could protect well enough and get some time we could make some plays down the field. I think that’s something we did very effectively. And obviously, he was extremely effective in the game at making some big plays.”

Burton had six catches of 15-plus yards against the Aggies. Most of them came against Richardson, as the two jawed at one another throughout the afternoon. Getting in his opponent’s head is a constant goal, Burton said, and it may have worked a little too well as Burton drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that led to a long punt return for the home team.

On Burton’s first touchdown, a 15-yard slant route, Burton said Milroe could’ve thrown the ball sooner for a short gain. But the pair shared a look and Burton slipped past the safety to get into the second window for the start of a game-defining 16-3 run for the Tide.

“Getting back to that deep threat passing game that Alabama has always been. We really took a lot of focus into this week and just really had come into this game knowing it was gonna be a critical situation and we had to make plays,” said Burton. “I love his team, so I’ll do whatever.”

After weeks of wondering what Alabama’s offense would look like, Burton and Milroe showcased its exciting potential.

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