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Alabama Football: Winning without a running game new to the Tide

By Ronald Evans

TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 08: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the offense against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 08: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the offense against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Alabama football handily defeated Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies without much of a run game. For Nick Saban, dominating the line of scrimmage is a cornerstone.

Nowhere in Alabama football coach, Nick Saban’s plan for championship football, does it say running the football does not matter. While Saban was pleased about the Tide’s overall performance against TAMU, he was displeased the offensive line did not dominate the line of scrimmage.

The result of that lack of domination was lackluster team rushing production. In fairness to the Tide’s Big Uglies, they did an excellent job in pass protection. Except for one or two rushing plays (one being the Damien Harris 35-yard run) the big guys up front won few battles in the trenches.

No amount of Tua-led Crimson Tide aerial explosions will discourage Saban from demanding his offensive line knock opponents off the ball. Lest Alabama football fans conclude being able to run down other teams’ throats is so 20th century, let’s review some numbers.

FBS Rushing leaders; yards-per-carry average

Listed below are the 13 FBS teams who average six or better yards-per-carry in the FBS. Statistics are provided by ESPN.

  1. Memphis – 8.1 yards
  2. Mississippi State – 6.6 yards
  3. Houston – 6.4 yards
  4. UCF – 6.4 yards
  5. Penn State – 6.4 yards
  6. UNLV – 6.3 yards
  7. Georgia – 6.3 yards
  8. Oklahoma – 6.2 yards
  9. Maryland – 6.2 yards
  10. Kentucky – 6.2 yards
  11. Clemson – 6.2 yards
  12. Louisiana-Lafayette 6.2 yards
  13. Appalachian State – 6.1 yards

Where does Alabama football rank? No. 38 at 5.2 yards-per-carry. These stats are only from four weeks of competition and they are not weighted to factor the opponents. Still, looking forward to the post-season, no Alabama football fan wants Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson to be better at running the football than the Crimson Tide.

Let’s drill down deeper to look at the Tide’s rushing performance against the Aggies. Using only the carries from the Tide’s running backs, Alabama football rushed for 106 yards on 21 carries. But, 35 of those yards came on one run. Pull out that one run by Damien Harris and the Tide’s rushing yards-per-carry average against TAMU was 3.55 yards.

Putting a 3.55-yard average into perspective, it matches what Texas State has done this season. A number that is No. 113 in the FBS for the 1-3 Bobcats. We call that comparison troubling.

Keep in mind, the biggest ground gain for the Tide on Saturday was a 57-yard jet sweep by Henry Ruggs III. Jet sweeps are counted as passes. Something else to keep in mind is when Tua is at quarterback, no opposing defense will load the box to stuff Tide runs. They have too much field to cover, vulnerable to the Tide’s passing attack. Struggling to open holes for Tide running backs is rarely because the offensive line is outnumbered.

The lack of a dominant rushing attack will not much matter over the next few weeks. But at some point, it could matter enough to be the difference between 11 wins or another national championship. Our guess is Nick Saban will not let that occur.

Next. They hate the Crimson Tide and we love it.. dark

Will there be any offensive line changes during the next two weeks? Bama Hammer will listen closely for any news.

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