Alabama heard the College Football Playoff selection committee, and sent them a stern message back in blowout win
Alabama had a strong response to harsh criticism this week.
The Alabama Crimson Tide came into this weekend ranked as the No. 10 seed in the College Football Playoff rankings and with a massive chip on its shoulder.
Alabama would have to take out those frustrations against Eastern Illinois after dropping in the rankings following a tough loss to a stout Oklahoma Sooners team. The College Football Playoff selection committee dropped Alabama farther than they should have, and the reasoning was just as disrespectful.
The committee said a major reason for dropping Alabama behind Notre Dame was because of their inability to run the ball, which is an absurd reason despite the truth behind it. Alabama needed to establish the run this weekend, and that’s exactly what they did, while sending a message back to the committee.
Alabama runs the ball at will against Eastern Illinois
Regardless of who your opponent is, establishing the run is a full team effort and all about getting in harmony. Alabama came into the game with some key injuries on the offensive line, and starting center Parker Brailsford being out today made running the ball a bigger challenge. It didn’t matter, though, and you could tell Alabama made a point to run the ball and run up the stats on the ground in their blowout win at home.
Alabama finished the game with a rushing attempt by 13 players and finished with 269 yards and all eight touchdowns on the ground. Head coach Kalen DeBoer wanted to send a message with their rushing stats, and they loaded the box score on the ground. Not a single touchdown was scored in the passing game of a 56-0 blowout game.
Jam Miller had a solid bounce-back game after struggling over the last few weeks, as he finished as the leading rusher with 62 rushing yards and the first touchdown of the game. Alabama needed to build momentum in the run game before facing Auburn in the Iron Bowl next week, and that’s what they did. Another factor could’ve been a change we haven’t seen this season off the field.
Ryan Grubb called plays on the sideline for the first time
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb saw this game as an opportunity to make a change with the offense’s recent struggles and made his way down to the field to call plays.
The passing game was out of rhythm today despite the surge in the run game, so the move was interesting to see from Grubb, who is known to be in the booth during games. We will have to match to see if that trend continues for the Iron Bowl next week, or if he goes back up top to watch for the passing game to improve. Being on the sideline can help get a feel for the game, but comes at the cost of seeing the whole, so there is a pro and con to the move.
Getting momentum in the run game was the key goal this week for both the offense and as a response to the College Football Playoff selection committee. They need to do it again next week against Auburn to help the passing game get back on track and make one last statement for their resume.
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