Any illusions that Kalen DeBoer may have had that the status quo could continue at Alabama were violently removed on December 6th of last season. In a rematch of the regular-season meeting that Alabama won in Athens, Georgia physically manhandled the Crimson Tide en route to a 28-7 win.
Alabama was held to -3 rushing yards in the game. The offense was drawing dead from the opening snap.
Indiana further hammered that point home a month later in the Rose Bowl, but the damage was already done, and DeBoer knew for certain that things had to change.
He moved on from OL coach Chris Kapilovic, bringing in veteran Adrian Klemm and then hiring Louisville OL coach Richard Owens away to coach the Tide's tight ends. He then completely flipped the offensive line room, adding 11 new players from the Transfer Portal and the high school class, while bringing back just five from last season's team and only one starter (Michael Carroll).
Alabama also prioritized the TE room. They landed Josh Ford from Oklahoma State in the portal, who immediately brought a toughness and grit that had been missing. Danny Lewis got healthy, and both Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett developed further.
The results have spoken for themselves. Alabama is averaging 186.4 yards per game on the ground, a mark that ranks in the Top 40 nationally. That's up over 80 yards per game from last season. DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb have stubbornly stuck by the run game, and it has worked, providing the balance that was nowhere to be found last season.
Now, that improvement and offseason self-reflection will face the ultimate test on Saturday night.
Kalen DeBoer knows Georgia will provide the measuring stick for Alabama's improved run game
Georgia is far and away the biggest test for Alabama's revamped run game. The Bulldogs have an elite defensive front, one that has not allowed much of anything on the ground so far this season. Georgia enters Saturday night's matchup in Tuscaloosa allowing just 69 yards per game on the ground, a mark that ranks No. 5 nationally.
As spectacular as Keelon Russell has been, the biggest change for Alabama's offense this year has been the ability to run the ball and maintain offensive balance. That has led to more clean pockets for Russell and the Crimson Tide, allowing them to push the ball vertically down the field because the defense can't key on it. They have to respect the three-headed monster at RB with Daniel Hill, Trae'shawn Brown, and EJ Crowell all running the ball effectively.
It all comes to a head Saturday night. The same opponent that embarrassed Alabama last year in Atlanta and helped launch the Crimson Tide's offseason movement will walk into Bryant-Denny Stadium expecting to dominate in the same way.
“This would be our greatest test when it comes to running the football that we’ve had, but we’ve built up that confidence, and the guys, again, have had a nice week of practice," DeBoer said during his weekly radio show on Wednesday night. "Last week was, from start to finish, running the ball was consistent. We’ve had some times where we’ve had a great second half or a great quarter here and there; we’ve been pretty good in the second half, honestly, running the football. But we came out and established that early in the game.”
Alabama probably won't run the ball for 200 yards against Georgia. They probably won't even hit 150. But reaching triple digits and being able to maintain balance so Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann can't tee off on Russell like they were able to do to Ty Simpson will be pivotal for the Crimson Tide's ability to win this game.
Alabama didn't make the changes it made this offseason to run the ball effectively against Mississippi State. They made the changes to match the physicality of opponents like Georgia and Indiana.
DeBoer recognized the problem, and he made the moves he thought would fix it. So far, so good, but this weekend will be the measuring stick that determines whether it was enough.
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