Alabama’s run game has hit a rough patch at the wrong time, and Ryan Grubb wants his backs thinking less about the highlight play and more about the steady one.
After an electric opening stretch through the first five weeks of the regular season, the Tide have managed just 122 rushing yards over the last two weeks of conference play. That slump stands in contrast to the 161 yards Alabama piled up on the ground against Georgia, even in a hard-fought loss. With LSU’s defensive front coming up next, Alabama is going to need a stronger showing on the ground to have the kind of balance it wants in Baton Rouge.
Grubb addressed the issue during his weekly press conference and made it clear the emphasis is on discipline, patience and trust in the blocking scheme.
“I think just like any week, you got to run disciplined and you got to run physical.” Grubb said.
“And what I mean by that is don’t pass on a 4-yard run against a defense like this, if there’s a crack we got to take it. We can’t be greedy and think about what if I bounce this one, just got to follow the rules, run disciplined and run with belief.
I believe our guys can run the football on these guys, I think we’ve run against some good fronts this season. So for us it’s just going to be staying disciplined in the read, moving the ball forward and be patient for the big one.”
That message matters even more with Alabama running back EJ Crowell’s status still up in the air as of Monday. If Crowell can’t go, the Tide will have to keep leaning on Daniel Hill and the rest of the backs in the room.
A road win in Baton Rouge would carry major weight for Alabama’s playoff hopes, and the run game figures to be one of the biggest factors in deciding whether the Tide can get it done.
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