Cole Cubelic would like to see Alabama lean more on its running game coming off of an upset loss to Vanderbilt this weekend. The Crimson Tide carried the ball only 21 times Saturday as they fell 40-35 to the Commodores and often appeared to abandon the run altogether, leaving the SEC Network analyst scratching his head.
With the talent that Alabama has both on its offensive line and in the backfield, Cubelic believes the run should be a bigger part of the team identity. It currently ranks third in the SEC in yards per carry (5.5) but only 11th in attempts per game (35.2).
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“I still cannot fathom why you don’t go into that game — and nothing against Vanderbilt’s personnel on defense — but they’re not a super heavy, dominant front,” Cubelic said on the Andy and Ari podcast. “You’ve got Tyler Booker , who I think is the best offensive lineman period in college football. Parker Brailsford ‘s been great this year and (Kadyn) Proctor ‘s finally getting it going. You’ve struggled a bit at right guard and right tackle has been up and down, but you also have a 260-pound tight end that benches 500 pounds. You have another 270-pound tight end that knows how to mash people. That needs to be more part of the game plan and, I think, more part of the personality.
“We didn’t see it until Wisconsin. That game was over because the backup quarterback was in, so they kind of felt like they could do that, but I would want to lead with that a little more. By the way, your quarterback runs 23.5 miles an hour and can run over people. So you add that into the mix and it’s more difficult to defend that part of who you can be.”
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Alabama has a pair of running backs splitting time in the backfield with Jam Miller and Justice Haynes . Additionally, quarterback Jalen Milroe leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns in addition to 283 yards on the ground.
Perhaps it was a product of falling behind early, but the Crimson Tide simply didn’t look to run the ball much on Saturday. Still, Cubelic noticed that too often Alabama would not give its rushing attack much of a chance after it failed to gain much yardage on first down.
“It just felt to me like every run play that was for a yard or two, it was automatic,” he said. “Hit the eject button, go four-wide and turn Milroe loose again. I don’t think that formula can win a lot because teams are gonna do what Vanderbilt tried to do and say, ‘We’re gonna play back, we’re gonna play off. You can have all the intermediate stuff and every hitch and every cross route. That’s fine. But we’re not gonna let Ryan Williams get us five times in this game. We’re not gonna let Germie Bernard beat us three times in this game.’
“That’s gonna be difficult to consistently make those go, specifically when you don’t touch the ball. Because their best players are on offense. Ryan Williams, Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, Jam Miller, Germia Bernard. Those are their best players and they have to be included in the game plan and on the field to go help you win. I think that has to happen.”
The loss to Vanderbilt was a massive letdown for the Crimson Tide after they took down Georgia the week before. However, it’s clear the tools are still there for a run at the College Football Playoff if they change their game plan a bit going forward.
Alabama next faces South Carolina at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
The post Cole Cubelic identifies what must change for Alabama after losing to Vanderbilt appeared first on On3 .
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