Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer
It wasn't a quintessential rushing performance. Far from it, in fact.
Yet with the season slipping away, it was the rushing performance that was needed and was received in the fourth quarter that kept the dreams of the season alive for at least a couple of more weeks if not all the way into the College Football Playoff for the University of Alabama football team.
For the majority of the game Alabama running backs suffered from lack of carries, bottled up by fierce Mississippi State front seven, which kept the UA offense spinning its wheels for most of the game.
A less-than-mint T.J. Yeldon - dinged by an ankle injury - combined with Derrick Henry for 64 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushes through the first 45 minutes, as the offense searched for a way to sustain drives and stay on the field.
The Bulldogs controlled the action despite Alabama's defense holding its own. Mississippi State had 131 yards rushing through three quarters and momentum seemed firmly entrenched on the side of the Bulldogs.
But when it mattered, during a possession UA coach Nick Saban labeled "one of the greatest drives in Alabama history," the running game got its wheels out of the mud and carried the team to a victory over the No. 1 team in the country.
It began simply enough with a Henry rush over right end for 9 yards - the talented, bulldozing sophomore's longest run of the night.
It was bookended by four straight Yeldon runs - 10, 11, 1 and 7 yards - that covered the final 29 yards and gave Alabama a two-score lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Of course that doesn't include quarterback Blake Sims' scrambles, which came on called pass plays.
All in all, the drive consisted of eight designed runs for 45 crucial yards that ultimately helped the Crimson Tide running backs finish with 108 hard-fought yards on 27 carries.
Saban knew that in order for his offense to tick, it needed the running game to jumpstart the engine.
"I think it's the key, man. When we can run the ball it makes a huge difference in the passing game, it makes a huge difference in explosive plays," he said. "That's a real key for us…"
It was a gutty performance for Yeldon, the hawk-eyed junior whose eyes provide his vision as a runner, widely considered his greatest asset. He suffered a sprained ankle during the closing minute of regulation against LSU and was limited for most of the week of practice prior to Saturday's game.
Not only is he the team's top running back, he's also perhaps the best blocking skill position player too.
"…especially in the SEC they're going to bring a lot of guys, so to have a back like (Yeldon) that can butt up big linebackers in the SEC, it gives Blake a lot more time to find receivers down field.
"Anytime you can have No. 4 in the backfield it's awesome for an offensive lineman, a guy who can hit the holes like that. You know as long as you can stay on your blocks you can make big plays."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1704849#sthash.vUy9YVXn.dpuf
TideSports.com Senior Writer
It wasn't a quintessential rushing performance. Far from it, in fact.
Yet with the season slipping away, it was the rushing performance that was needed and was received in the fourth quarter that kept the dreams of the season alive for at least a couple of more weeks if not all the way into the College Football Playoff for the University of Alabama football team.
For the majority of the game Alabama running backs suffered from lack of carries, bottled up by fierce Mississippi State front seven, which kept the UA offense spinning its wheels for most of the game.
A less-than-mint T.J. Yeldon - dinged by an ankle injury - combined with Derrick Henry for 64 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushes through the first 45 minutes, as the offense searched for a way to sustain drives and stay on the field.
The Bulldogs controlled the action despite Alabama's defense holding its own. Mississippi State had 131 yards rushing through three quarters and momentum seemed firmly entrenched on the side of the Bulldogs.
But when it mattered, during a possession UA coach Nick Saban labeled "one of the greatest drives in Alabama history," the running game got its wheels out of the mud and carried the team to a victory over the No. 1 team in the country.
It began simply enough with a Henry rush over right end for 9 yards - the talented, bulldozing sophomore's longest run of the night.
It was bookended by four straight Yeldon runs - 10, 11, 1 and 7 yards - that covered the final 29 yards and gave Alabama a two-score lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Of course that doesn't include quarterback Blake Sims' scrambles, which came on called pass plays.
All in all, the drive consisted of eight designed runs for 45 crucial yards that ultimately helped the Crimson Tide running backs finish with 108 hard-fought yards on 27 carries.
Saban knew that in order for his offense to tick, it needed the running game to jumpstart the engine.
"I think it's the key, man. When we can run the ball it makes a huge difference in the passing game, it makes a huge difference in explosive plays," he said. "That's a real key for us…"
It was a gutty performance for Yeldon, the hawk-eyed junior whose eyes provide his vision as a runner, widely considered his greatest asset. He suffered a sprained ankle during the closing minute of regulation against LSU and was limited for most of the week of practice prior to Saturday's game.
Not only is he the team's top running back, he's also perhaps the best blocking skill position player too.
"…especially in the SEC they're going to bring a lot of guys, so to have a back like (Yeldon) that can butt up big linebackers in the SEC, it gives Blake a lot more time to find receivers down field.
"Anytime you can have No. 4 in the backfield it's awesome for an offensive lineman, a guy who can hit the holes like that. You know as long as you can stay on your blocks you can make big plays."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1704849#sthash.vUy9YVXn.dpuf
