Trent Richardson shares special story about favorite touchdown run at Alabama

Trent Richardson has many options to choose from when it comes to his favorite touchdown run at Alabama. But of the 35 rushing scores throughout his Crimson Tide career, there is one that meant a little more because of the emotion attached to it.

Many Alabama fans will remember Richardson’s 76-yard touchdown run against Ole Miss in 2011 during which he made several Rebels miss on his way to the end zone. Aside from the fact that he juked out the last defender standing in his way on the highlight play though, the run is special to Richardson for a more personal reason.

“For me, that day was special because my daughter was turning five,” Richardson told BamaInsider. “I said, ‘How many touchdowns you want me to score?’ And she said, ‘Five.’ I said, ‘All right, I’m gonna score five.’ And I knew it was gonna be hard. If I got to half of that we was gonna be in a good place. I ended up scoring five. They called one back, but I ended up scoring five. So that day was special for me. I think I had just left my aunt’s funeral or she had just passed on that day. It was something near that. It was more like she was playing with me at the time.”

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Trent Richardson also went into detail on a conversation he had with Alabama running backs coach Burton Burns prior to the play. The running back had noticed something about the Ole Miss defense on the previous play and planned to make them pay. When Alabama went back to the same play, he followed through on his promise.

“So when you think about that run, that run was special because earlier that game he had came in the backfield and swiped my legs from underneath me,” Richardson said. “I said, ‘Coach, he’s cheating. If he cheat, I gonna make him miss.’ Coach Burns was like, ‘If you do that, you know you’re not gonna follow your blocks. You better make up for it.’ I said, ‘I got you.’ So we went back to it and I made them miss in the backfield first. A lot of people don’t realize that.

“I got downfield and waiting on my blockers. All I could think about was, ‘Man, I gotta get in this end zone. I done came this far. I gotta get in this end zone.’ All this is running through my head at the same time. I slowed down and waited for Marquis Maze. Even my linemen was downfield blocking me. They was hauling tail, man.”

Richardson finished the game with 17 carries for 183 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Crimson Tide won 52-7. Alabama went on to claim its second national championship of the Nick Saban era that season and Richardson was drafted third overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Richardson still ranks eighth in program history in career rushing yards (3,130) and his 35 touchdowns are good for sixth. But as he thinks back on the run and his time in Tuscaloosa, he is most proud of being there for the beginning of a dynasty.

“Moments like that are so special,” he said. “All them guys was there in the process when we wasn’t so good. When we was just OK. When we was just a regular team. Just being OK and not good enough is not winning a national championship nowadays. Being on that team that year and making that run, it was truly special.”