Alabama football will steamroll defenses if it can replicate early A-Day rushing

Jam Miller laughed once he finished answering.

The question: Would the Alabama football running back rather juke a defender or run through him?

“I’d rather run through a guy,” he said without hesitation. Cue the laugh.

It was a chuckle wrapped not in humor but in eagerness. Miller laughed like a man who has fun pummeling defenders and couldn’t wait to do it again.

Linebacker Deontae Lawson knows that all too well. He had to defend the running backs Saturday during the A-Day game like he does in practice.

“You’ve got to come every play,” Lawson said. “If you don’t come, they’re going to catch you.”

Miller and the backs showed it at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the spring game. The running game proved tough to stop early, putting the offense up 31-0 to start A-Day under new coach Kalen DeBoer. The offense eventually held on to win 34-28 in a game with an irregular scoring system where the defense could score points.

The running game finished with 206 yards on 42 carries, an average of 4.9 yards per carry, with four rushing touchdowns. Those numbers would have been even better if not for the offense fading some in the second half of the scrimmage.

“I thought (the running backs) did a better job, when they saw a hole today, they hit it,” DeBoer said. “Especially early on, there were some seams. They’re not dancing, which means they’re getting more and more comfortable with the schemes.”

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Miller took advantage of openings like no other running back in the game. He showed burst and wasted no time dashing through holes. He ran for 48 yards on one…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-football-steamroll-defenses-replicate-232132840.html

Author : The Tuscaloosa News

Publish date : 2024-04-13 23:21:32

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