Alabama successfully leans on ground game for first time in SEC play

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 15 Alabama’s 34-0 win over No. 21 Missouri was refreshing in a lot of different ways on Saturday afternoon. Fans have plenty to be pleased about, from the shutout performance from the defense to the margin of victory, but one thing people have been clamoring for finally showed itself in a huge way in the run game.

The Crimson Tide has two incredibly talented running backs in Jam Miller and Justice Haynes, but to this point in the season, both had been heavily underutilized. Through four SEC games, Miller and Haynes had yet to combine for 70 yards rushing entering Saturday, and almost unfathomable stat.

But that all changed as Alabama leaned heavily on the ground game in its win over the Tigers. The Crimson Tide rushed for 271 yards in the game, its highest since Week 1. As the game went on, the running back wore and wore on the Missouri defense, leading to multiple huge running plays late in the game.

“They ended up letting up as the game went on,” left guard Tyler Booker said. “You could see, you could visibly see us run the ball on them and that start to visibly wear on their defensive line. That allowed Justice and Jam to have great breakaway runs like they had today.”

Haynes was Alabama’s leading rusher, going for 79 yards on eight carries. He had the highlight of the game with a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, one where he ran over a defender and kept his balance, igniting the crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“[Haynes] had a couple. The touchdown? That’s the one that sticks out in my mind too. There was a hit in there, and thunderous is probably a good way to put it because I can hear it,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “For him to stay on his feet, keep the legs moving, bounce off, have guys downfield blocking. Great effort. That’s something I see from them, the want-to is there, and to see it pay off in that type of way and have guys making plays, there’s some momentum things and things we can build off there, too. That wasn’t just one for him that was one for everyone to see that physical type of run. Jam I thought did a nice job on some runs there too, at different times. It was a 1-2 punch right there, took a good step in the right direction.”

Like DeBoer, Booker also loved what he saw from Haynes on that play, and wants to see him get more chances to make highlight plays like that one.

“Justice really brought the boom on that play,” Booker said. “We have to make sure we continue to give him opportunities to do so. We have to make sure we see how hard he’s working, and know all we got to do is give this guy a little bit of room, and he’s going to make a lot out of it.”

Haynes made sure to credit his offensive line with their play throughout the game, and the way they opened things up both for him and Miller. He specifically spoke of the chemistry he’s worked to foster between himself and the line, knowing the importance of it to their success.

“I think there’s a lot of chemistry,” Haynes said. “We’re really close with the offensive line. Personally for me, I sit with them every pregame. Just to build that chemistry. Those dudes, those are my ride or dies. Without them, the offense can’t get going as a whole. We need them on every play, we appreciate the heck out of them.”

For Alabama’s offense to continue to have success, the run game will be vital.

The past few weeks, when Alabama’s offense has been at its worst. the run game has been nonexistent. The emergence of the run game against Missouri aided greatly in making quarterback Jalen Milroe more comfortable, as he had less of an offensive workload to bear.

“Every quarterback needs a good run game, so the whole weight of everything isn’t on one guy’s shoulders,” DeBoer said.

The key for Alabama’s offense moving forward? Staying balanced.

Milroe has shown how successful he can be as a dual-threat quarterback, but when there’s no additional threat on the ground, it’s become easy for defenses to key in on his weaknesses and shut down the Alabama offense. A balanced attack opens things up for the entire offense, and keeps defenses guessing.

“Whenever you’re able to have a dominant run game and have a balances offense, that sets up so much for Jalen to do what he does. It’s always nice to see guys like Justice and Jam have a great game as well, we love those guys,” Booker said.