Alabama’s ground game operating again at elite level,
Alabama’s 29-0 triumph at LSU this past Saturday night didn’t have an old-school feel simply because of the Crimson Tide defense.
There also was a rushing performance that evoked Alabama’s ground-game dominance throughout most of the Nick Saban era.
The Crimson Tide pounded the Tigers for 281 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries, averaging a season-high 7.6 yards per rush. Senior running back Damien Harris had 19 carries for 107 yards and a score, while sophomore Najee Harris had six carries for 83 yards, averaging 13.8 yards a pop before spraining his ankle.
“There was a point in time where we thought that running the ball was our best chance of having success on offense,” Damien Harris said Monday during a news conference, “and that was what we were able to do. Having the success that we had I thought was good for our team.”
Coach Saban said Monday that he hopes Najee Harris will return to practice today or Wednesday, but he is questionable for this week’s game against visiting Mississippi State.
The Tide’s rushing performance came off an open date, which followed a 58-21 win at Tennessee in which Alabama rushed 42 times for 218 yards.
“We’ve been able to run the ball better the last couple of games, which I think is the balance we wanted to create,” Saban said. “Finishing the game like we did at LSU is probably something we couldn’t have done early in the season.”
Mississippi State could test Alabama’s rushing momentum with a defense that allows just 111.4 ground yards per game, which ranks 18th nationally and third in the Southeastern Conference behind Texas A&M and the Tide. The Bulldogs have a stellar defensive front headed by junior tackle Jeffery Simmons and senior end Montez Sweat, and they are solid in the secondary as well, ranking fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense.
Sweat, a 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain, ranks fourth nationally with 1.06 sacks per game.
“Moving forward becomes
very internal in terms of putting the last game behind you and looking forward to the challenges and the tests of the future,” Saban said. “You can’t be complacent or satisfied. We’re going to get challenged this week by some individual players who are going to be a real challenge to be able to get blocked.
“It’s not just going to be a scheme thing. It’s going to be a personal challenge to a lot of guys to be able to get some really good players blocked.”
Alabama has won 10 consecutive games against MSU, humiliating the Bulldogs 51-3 two years ago in Tuscaloosa before surviving 31-24 last year in Starkville. The Tide won last season’s matchup on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith with 25 seconds remaining.
Damien Harris remembers the adversity from last year’s showdown but said this week for Alabama is more about Alabama.
“Regardless of who we’re playing week in and week out, we feel like we’re playing against ourselves,” he said. “Ultimately we feel that if we play our best football that we’re the best team in the country. Every week is a faceless opponent.”
Tide tidbits
Alabama’s final two home games against The Citadel and Auburn will have noon and 3:30 EST kickoffs, with the Iron Bowl to be televised by CBS. … Saban said sophomore receiver Henry Ruggs, who suffered a bruised leg at LSU, should resume practicing today. … The Alabama-LSU game drew a 6.7 rating, which makes it the highest-rated college football game of the 2018 season (the top five markets were Birmingham, New Orleans, Knoxville, Nashville and Atlanta). … The Tide hold a 80-18-3 series advantage over Mississippi State.