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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama football wants execution to become the norm for Crimson Tide run game
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama football wants execution to become the norm for Crimson Tide run game
Justice Haynes, Jam Miller and the rest of the Alabama football run game broke free against Missouri on Saturday.
In the Crimson Tide's 34-0 win against the Tigers, Alabama backs recorded 271 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 37 touches. Haynes and Miller led the way with 127 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
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Was Saturday's performance a jumping off point for the Alabama rushing attack ahead of the final four games of the regular season?
"No," Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie said. "It's just another game."
It's the kind of game Gillespie wants normalized, one where the Crimson Tide is able to stay on the field and sustain longer drives.
"We went out and executed," Gillespie said.
Execution has not been the norm for the Alabama run game.
In games against Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Tennessee , Miller and Haynes combined to average 3.9 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns. It was an offense that forced quarterback Jalen Milroe to carry the load, recording 59 touches — 45 pass attempts and 14 rushes — against Tennessee.
Oct 26, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) hands off to running back Jam Miller (26) against the Missouri Tigers during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
Through eight games, Alabama has the sixth-ranked run game in the SEC, averaging 177.6 rushing yards per game. The Crimson Tide leads the conference with 28 rushing touchdowns, third-best nationally behind Army and Indiana .
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Gillespie does not care who gets the ball. It's something he calls his players to leave at the door at the beginning of the season.
"Those championships aren't from personal goals here at Alabama. Everyone understands that," Gillespie said. "When you're here, you're going to be surrounded by other great backs, surrounded by other great receivers and around guys that all want the ball. Those are the things that we talk about at the beginning of the season, just going out and playing the game and just letting the game come to you."
Gillespie is honed in on "whatever it takes to get the win" in his running back room, something he aims to become the norm for Alabama moving forward.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football run game wants execution to become the norm
