Nick Saban explains the challenges presented by offenses using multiple-running back sets

Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic picked the brain of Alabama head coach Nick Saban ahead of the Crimson Tide’s fall camp kickoff this week. On McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Saban broke down the difficulty of defending two-back offensive sets and the advantages they can give a team.

“I think you make a good point that that is something that’s becoming more and more pervasive,” Saban said. “… How you defend it depends on the diversity of the players that are actually making those two-back sets. I also think one of the things people are doing more of with two-back sets is using the Y as an off-player, so they’re actually creating what I refer to as three-back runs.

“So you have three people in the backfield because you have the Y, although he’s probably not going to carry the ball, he is a slider/blocker… so the keys become different. It’s just a part of what we have to do now in terms of defending those formations. Most people who do it still maintain spread-type elements. It’s just an opportunity to get a more-skilled guy the ball.”

A two-back set is often used to create another mismatch and several SEC teams incorporate it heavily in their offenses. Saban’s squad will come up against multiple teams capable of dominating with two running backs on the field in 2022.

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Saban discusses how SEC play has evolved

Nick Saban’s early teams won with their ground and pound style. Defense first. Running game second. With the passing game as much more of an afterthought.

Now, Saban’s teams, as well as others in the SEC, are winning through the air. By scoring 40 points a game. Reporters asked Saban about this shift in style and philosophy at SEC Media Days.

“Well I think the game has changed,” Saban said. “The whole game has changed. The rules in college football with RPOs and blocking on passes behind the line of scrimmage; you can block downfield, which they give them a yard on that, so they’re really not behind the line of scrimmage. So those things made people go to spread offense, make people defend 53 yards wide and 100 yards deep vertically and horizontally.”

With the passing game opening up so much, now run plays are the simplest to defend, according to the Alabama head coach.

“The easiest plays to defend are interior runs,” Saban continued. “The things that are more difficult is how are all these good players playing in space, how do you contain those players and those plays because they’re all tied to runs. There are advantage throws with almost every run, so if you play to stop the run they’re throwing the ball. And all this has happened in the last 10 years.”

On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.