Alabama returned to the practice field on Tuesday for its first practice since Saturday's consequential second scrimmage. The biggest news out of that scrimmage was the injury to senior RB Jam Miller, which will cost him at least the Tide's season opener against Florida State, and perhaps more. Most reports have indicated he is likely to be out until Alabama goes to Athens to face Georgia at the end of September.
There's been plenty of debate over which running back(s) would take the featured role in Miller's absence. Some assumed it would be third year back Richard Young. Others, like myself, figured it probably signaled increased work for Louisiana transfer Dre Washington, who dwarfs the other backs on the Tide roster in terms of experience. Others think it's a big opportunity for redshirt freshman Daniel Hill, who has consistently impressed coaches in spring and fall camp.
According to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, which back takes the featured role, and which backs will see the field, will be determined over the next week and a half of practice before Alabama makes the trip to Tallahassee.
“I think we gotta see a lot here in the next week or so to see who can handle the game plan,” Grubb said. “Who’s the most responsible with all the duties.”
It's coach-speak, but it's true nonetheless. All the other backs on the roster are more than capable of running the football effectively, but which back is better at the little things - the blitz pick-ups, catching passes out of the backfield, etc. - is likely to be the lead guy against the Seminoles.
Per observations at practice, Young led Alabama's backs through drills, though that may ultimately mean nothing. In all likelihood, it'll be a RB-by-committee approach for the Crimson Tide, with Grubb and Kalen DeBoer riding the hot hand down the stretch.
Grubb's assessment of the running backs reveals a couple of interesting points
Three things I found interesting while listening to Grubb's post-practice interview:
The first is when asked to assess the running backs, the first name that Grubb brought up was Hill. He specifically mentioned Hill's physicality and his ability to protect the QB. Miller is a good runner, but he's also a guy who is experienced enough to avoid blown protections that force unnecessary hits on Ty Simpson in his first career start. That's why Grubb specifically mentioning Hill's ability as a protector is key.
The second interesting thing is that Grubb mentioned Washington is still developing as a pass blocker, which throws out my preconceived notion of him as a blocker out the window. Grubb shouted out his vision and ability as a runner, but said, "I think some of the pass protection responsibilities are things that probably were not in his wheelhouse prior to getting here."
The third interesting thing is that, initially, Grubb didn't mention Young. Instead, he talked about redshirt freshman Kevin Riley after discussing Hill and Washington. He mentioned that Riley continues to get better, and talked about him having an excellent ability out of the backfield. Might Riley be carving out an unexpected role?
Young's omission initially is probably much ado about nothing. Grubb circled back to Young shortly after when asked, and was complimentary of the third-year RB:
“Rich has been super physical and has been a guy the last two scrimmages, I thought, when we need a little bit of a spark to pop a run right up the middle and finish it, he’s done a great job,” Grubb said. “He’s worked really, really hard at becoming a better player out of the backfield, has gotten better at that. Very responsible. He cares a lot. He’s tough, physical, and we love him.”
As a pure runner, Young is probably the best of the bunch. There's an argument that he's better than Miller in that aspect. But the question will be whether he can do the other things required in this offense to stay on the field. Can he catch passes out of the backfield? Can he identify and pick up blitzes?
The smart money is on Young starting against Florida State next Saturday. But how much he plays will likely be determined by what happens in the game.