’Bama makes like LSU, rides big back Henry
He did not say it like this, but Alabama coach Nick Saban is playing more of a Les Miles brand of football this season.
His dalliance with the spread attack of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin is on the back burner as the No. 7 Crimson Tide (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) prepare to host No. 4 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) Saturday.
The last time Saban was in a playoff game, his high-flying, nohuddle offense went down the Lane, so to speak, one too many times in a 42-35 loss to Ohio State in the national semifinal. Quarterback Blake Sims threw 36 times with three interceptions, including one late deep in Buckeyes’ territory that ruined the Tide’s chance at victory.
Meanwhile, towering 6-3 tailback Derrick Henry was underused with 13 carries for 95 yards — 7.3 yards a carry. In the second half, Henry gained 39 yards on six carries. But when Alabama lucked into a first down at the Ohio State 23 after a 21-yard Buckeyes punt while down 34-28 with 9:53 to go in the fourth quarter, Henry did not get the call even though he had gained 30 yards on his previous four carries in the second half.
“We want to be a more of a physical team and tougher on the line of scrimmage,” he said at the SEC media days in July.
And that is happening lately with less passing and more runs by Henry, a junior who is second in the SEC in rushing and ninth nationally with 1,044 yards on 180 carries in eight games. Through 14 games last year, Henry carried just 172 times.
In Alabama’s past two games, the Tide have been very LSU-like with 42 and 45 rushes and 27 and 25 passing attempts by senior quarterback Jake Coker. Those numbers came in 19-14 and 41-23 victories against Tennessee and Texas A&M, respectively. Henry gained 143 yards on 28 carries against the Volunteers and 236 yards on 32 carries against the Aggies — numbers similar to LSU tailback Leonard Fournette’s.
“Last year was kind of an anomaly that we had a quarterback that was really kind of a spread kind of guy that could move around, so we got more into that mode,” Saban said this week.
Kiffin, 40, is adjusting to more runs, particularly after Coker threw two interceptions amid 45 passes for 201 yards Sept. 19 in a 43-37 loss to Mississippi.
“This year, we’ve wanted to get back to the way we used to play, which is to be able to run the ball effectively,” Saban said.
So, Saturday’s game is looking like Henry (6-3, 242) vs. Fournette (6-1, 230), who leads the nation in rushing with 1,352 yards and with 193.1 yards a game. Henry is 12th in the nation with 130.5 yards a game.
“I told my defense, ‘Man, you’ve got to get ready to tackle him,’ ” Fournette said of Henry. “He’s huge, man. Like he’s three times bigger than me. Man, if I played defense, I wouldn’t want to tackle him.”
Henry matched that. “That’s a big boy to bring down,” he told reporters in Tuscaloosa. “Whew, that’s a big boy to bring down. I probably wouldn’t tackle him. He runs the ball the right way. He runs physical. He does a great job for his team, and every week he brings it.”
So does Henry. “Derrick has had an outstanding year for us and has been a real workhorse for us,” Saban said. “He’s a guy that’s fast and hard to tackle and can break tackles as well.”
LSU’s defenders figure they might be better prepared for Henry, having practiced regularly against Fournette.
“We have a guy here who is, I mean, he’s ridiculous,” LSU defensive back Jalen Mills said of Fournette. “So just practicing against him is getting us ready for this game.
“I met Leonard one time in the hole during camp. It was a pretty good hit. They’re both big, fast and strong.”