There were many bye-week claims by players and coaches about remedies for the Crimson Tide's anemic rushing attack. Nothing changed against LSU. The Alabama Crimson Tide won anyway, helped by a strong defensive performance and an LSU team that is not very good. Writing for USA Today, John Leuzzi described the win as Alabama "slogging" through.
How bad was Alabama's rushing offense against LSU? Jam Miller, Daniel Hill, and Kevin Riley combined for 16 carries and gained 39 yards. The 2.4 yards per carry average was good enough against LSU. It is unlikely to be enough to beat Oklahoma or win in Atlanta or to make a Playoff run.
About Alabama's difficulty running the ball, Kalen DeBoer's post-game comments were honest, but did not offer much in the way of a solution. He mentioned "better blocking" and "falling forward for extra yards."
Alabama did enough through the air to win, but not enough to sizzle, other than the late second-quarter touchdown drive triggered by a 53-yard completion to Lotzeir Brooks. Ty Simpson made some impressive throws and missed big play opportunities on others. Ryan Grubb mixed things up enough to compensate for the Tide's ineffective traditional run game.
Tougher Games Ahead for the Alabama Crimson Tide
Grubb will have tougher challenges in two upcoming regular-season games, and hopefully another game in Atlanta. LSU is a good defensive team. Based on average yards allowed per play in SEC games, Oklahoma, Auburn, Texas A&M, or maybe Georgia are all better. Coaches often say offenses cannot give up on run games. Grubb said exactly that a couple of times earlier in the season. But how many first-down or short-yardage calls can a team afford to waste on interior runs that too often fail?
Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb must find the correct answer for the Alabama Crimson Tide to remain a championship contender. Alabama's win over LSU was not a disappointment. But it did show that the Crimson Tide is not yet a complete team.
Note: Game stats provided by StatBroadcast