It's been an injury-plagued senior season for Jam Miller so far. The Alabama RB missed the first three games of the season with a dislocated collarbone he suffered in the Crimson Tide's final scrimmage of fall camp. He got back for the Georgia game, but just two weeks later, he suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of Alabama's 27-24 win over Missouri.
Miller is currently in concussion protocol, and his status for this weekend against Tennessee is up in the air. Alabama's initial availability report for this weekend will be released on Wednesday night and will shed some light on where Miller is in the process.
Miller has seen a heavy workload since returning from the collarbone injury and has been a difference-maker for the Tide. Ryan Grubb has remained stubborn with running the football in recent weeks, even when it hasn't always been super successful.
Miller produced Alabama's first 100-yard rushing game for a running back in over a calendar year against Vanderbilt. He ran for 136 yards on 22 carries, punctuating the win with a 22-yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter.
If Miller is out, Alabama will likely turn to redshirt freshman Kevin Riley as the starter, and it seems like fellow redshirt freshman Daniel Hill has emerged as the Tide's RB3 over the last couple of weeks. Hill got six carries against Missouri and caught a crucial touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter on Saturday after Miller went out with the injury.
Neither Riley nor Hill has been overly effective against Power Four opponents. Since playing well against Florida State and Wisconsin, Riley hasn't had a game with a better than 3.4 yards-per-carry average. Over the last four games, Riley has carried the ball 28 times and racked up 83 yards. He's been effective as a receiver - and he caught a touchdown pass against Missouri - but he hasn't been effective running between the tackles.
Hill has 12 carries on the season, but has only turned them into 39 total yards.
Tennessee could offer the opportunity for those two - or perhaps the long-lost Richard Young - to break out.
Tennessee's struggling run defense could be just what Alabama needs
The good news for Alabama is that Tennessee's run defense hasn't exactly looked like the '85 Bears. The Vols are giving up 152.4 yards per game on the ground, a mark that ranks 70th in the country. The advanced stats are even worse. Per Game on Paper, Tennessee is 114th in the country in rushing success rate, allowing a successful running play on 43.7% of attempts.
Tennessee's defense has been flat-out bad this season; it's a far cry from the unit they fielded last season that keyed their College Football Playoff run. The only thing Tennessee does well is rush the passer; they are first in the country in sacks per game, which is what makes finding some semblance of a run game all the more important for Kalen DeBoer on Saturday night.
If Alabama can't find offensive balance, then Tennessee will be able to tee off on Ty Simpson. The Tide's offensive line has struggled in protection in recent weeks, allowing eight sacks over the last two games.
If Miller plays, Alabama should be able to run the ball effectively. If he doesn't, the Crimson Tide will need Riley, Hill, or perhaps even Richard Young to make some plays. The holes will likely be there, but they'll have to find them.