Hugh Freeze offers critical injury update for Auburn Tigers running backs that reveals likely plan against South Alabama
Auburn likely missing multiple backs, but they’ll actually be faster because of it
The Auburn Tigers are now 2-0 in large part due to their dominant running game following yet another phenomenal game from running back Jeremiah Cobb. Hugh Freeze and his offense bludgeoned both Baylor and Ball State. Can they continue that momentum against South Alabama this week and beyond against a tough SEC slate that includes possibly four ranked opponents in a row here soon?
The short answer is a likely “yes”, but head coach Hugh Freeze did offer a concerning and critical injury update on the Auburn RBs that might have fans concerned.
What will Auburn do at RB with freak injury to Durell Robinson and Damari Alston like a game-time decision?
Damari Alston was ruled out against Ball State due to what the team deemed a “minor” shoulder injury last week, but it apparently wasn’t so minor because he’s still a game-time decision this week according to coach Freeze.
Durell Robinson–the team’s third running back option–suffered what Freeze referred to as a “freak” injury against Ball State as well, and he’ll be out for quite some time. Hugh Freeze shared his thoughts on both running backs with media this week:
“Damari [Alston] will probably be a game-time decision. I know he’s going to try. He went through the walkthroughs this morning. Until you put the pads on and take a hit on it or something, I’m not sure exactly how he feels. So he’ll be a game-time decision. Unfortunately we’ve lost Durell [Robinson] for a period of time to a freak injury. He didn’t really even know he was hurt after the game. Sunday morning he had a collection of blood like I have never seen in all my years coaching on his thigh. They had to rush him to Birmingham to open that up and get the blood off of his leg. They had to do a pretty good incision on it, so he’s going to be out for a little while.”
Auburn missing two of their top three running backs sounds like extremely bad news on the surface. However, based on how Jeremiah Cobb and the speedy true freshman Omar Mabson played this past week against Ball State it might not be that big of an issue.
Jeremiah Cobb absolutely obliterated the Ball State defense for 121 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries (one of which you can see in the post below). Omar Mabson, although just an inexperienced three star true freshman, impressed on his four carries as well. That duo should be in good position to succeed once again this week, but how will that actually play out?
Auburn Tigers set to win with elite speed at RB in Jeremiah Cobb and hometown hero Omar Mabson
Damari Alston and Durell Robinson might both miss the South Alabama game (and perhaps more), but the Cobb and Mabson dynamic duo might prove to be much more explosive and fast without them. Hugh Freeze talked about the differences between Damar, Cobb, and Omar:
“I would feel better if Damari was healthy. But Omar [Mabson] had some really good carries and was solid. [Jeremiah] Cobb is definitely different than Damari [Alston]. Probably more of a slasher than a power guy, and obviously has good open field speed which he showed the other night. I’m excited that he got his first 100-yard rushing game and he’ll have to carry the bulk of the load Saturday for sure. We’ll figure out how Damari is, and get Omar ready to go also, and maybe Alvin [Henderson].”
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The Auburn Tigers needed to find a way to help Jackson Arnold settle in and find some momentum as a passer in Week 2 and that’s exactly what they did. Hugh Freeze schemed up some easy plays early, got his quarterback’s confidence rolling, and the rest was history as Auburn rolled over Ball State in […]
Hugh Freeze reiterated how excited he was to see Jeremiah Cobb’s breakout season and the he expects much more of that. He referenced the speed of Cobb that was shown off on his two long runs that went over 45 yards apiece, but hometown hero Omar Mabson might even be faster.
Mabson ran for over 1,500 yards back in 2024 (his final high school season) and set an Auburn High School football record with 29 rushing touchdowns in that season alone. How did he make that happen? Elite speed. Mabson was clocked as fast as 21.5 miles per hour in his high school final season, which most weeks would register him as a top five fastest ball carrier in college football according to multiple player tracking sources (Reel Analytics and Zebra Tracking).
If Cobb or Mabson find much wiggle room to work with on Saturday against South Alabama fans should expect to see some explosive runs once again thanks to their special speed. Hugh Freeze and company will certainly come up with plans to get both running backs sprinting downhill. If the offense succeeds in creating much room for the RBs at all it’ll be game over since that will then open up plenty of space for quarterback Jackson Arnold to work with in the passing game too. And if the score gets ugly early, expect to see some Alvin Henderson as well–the team’s highly touted four star freshman.
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