It may not have looked like it on paper, but Alabama's run game actually did just fine against Oklahoma during the regular-season meeting in Tuscaloosa. Against an elite Sooners defense, the Crimson Tide managed 102 sack-adjusted rushing yards and seemed to settle on the five-man grouping on the offensive line that gives them the best chance to be successful.
Perhaps it's going to sound foolish to remain optimistic about the ground game in the aftermath of a -3 rushing yard performance in Saturday's SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia, but there were several factors working against Alabama that should be remedied in 11 days when it travels to Norman for the College Football Playoff.
Not only was Alabama without starting RB Jam Miller, who put together one of his best performances of the season the week prior in the Iron Bowl, but the five-man grouping that seemingly had figured some things out for the Tide's offensive line was banged-up and not together.
Starting LG Kam Dewberry missed the SEC Championship Game with an injury and should be ready to go for the playoff. Backup Geno VanDeMark also went down during the game, reducing the Crimson Tide to third-string LG William Sanders against the Bulldogs.
But the biggest issue for Alabama's offensive line right now, and for the last few weeks, has been the health of star center Parker Brailsford. Brailsford has been playing with effectively a cast on his foot, which has limited his effectiveness, particularly as the athletic puller in space. Alabama asks a lot of Brailsford because he typically delivers. But on one foot, he's gone from being arguably the best center in the country to effectively a replacement-level player.
Kalen DeBoer expects Parker Brailsford to be 'pretty much' 100% for playoff
That's a significant reduction for an offensive line that already has a limited ceiling with odd personnel-to-scheme fits at multiple positions. It's Brailsford's return to form that has Kalen DeBoer the most optimistic that the Alabama offense can kick back into form after a few weeks of treading water.
"I think Parker, where he’ll be, he improved quite a bit from the Auburn game," DeBoer said. "And with this time, I mean, I would expect him pretty much at 100 percent going into the Oklahoma game. So that’s a big deal. That’s a big deal there."
Brailsford got dinged up during the Oklahoma game in November. He missed the following week's game against Eastern Illinois before returning for the Iron Bowl with the bulky brace. If he can get back to 100%, DeBoer isn't overselling how pivotal that can be for the Crimson Tide's offense.
Getting Miller back will be key, too. He missed the Oklahoma game, though Daniel Hill proved to be pretty effective against the Sooners, producing 97 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches.
More so than as a runner, having Miller back as a pass protector is sorely needed. Hill struggled against Georgia, which forced a lot of rushed throws from Ty Simpson, who never seemed comfortable in Atlanta.
Injuries aren't a valid excuse for Alabama's disaster-class of a performance against Georgia, but it's the truth that this team getting key players closer to 100% could prove to be pivotal for its College Football Playoff matchup against Oklahoma.