What we learned: Alabama’s running game found its footing

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On paper, this wasn’t supposed to be the week Alabama found its rhythm in the running game.

Southern Miss entered Saturday with the nation’s third-best run defense, limiting opponents to a mere 46 yards per game on the ground. On the other side of the equation, an Alabama offense ranked No. 94 in rushing offense was missing its starting running back, Brian Robinson, who was held out with bruised ribs.

While Alabama was never expected to struggle against Southern Miss, it would not have been a huge surprise to see the Golden Eagles frustrate the Crimson Tide on the ground given the circumstances. Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan had other plans.

The pair of sophomore backs combined for 207 of Alabama’s season-high 213 rushing yards on the night as the Tide averaged 6.7 yards a carry during its 63-14 blowout over Southern Miss.

“We broke some runs,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I think our consistency in the running game is something we still need to continue to work on and continue to improve. Again, we played a team that moves a lot up front and sometimes that gave us problems but for the most part, we got a hat on a hat and thought guys did a really good job. I see progress being made and I see improvement.”

Williams, who entered the game as the team’s fourth-leading rusher, became the first Alabama back to reach the century mark this season, running for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. The Hueytown, Ala., native picked up a big chunk of that on a 57-yard run in the first quarter but also ripped gains of 14 yards and 16 yards on the evening.

“He’s very explosive,” Saban said. “He’s got great speed. He’s a good receiver. He’s got power for his size. We’ve always thought Roydell could be a great asset to our offense as a change-of-pace guy because of the speed that he has. He certainly played well tonight.”

McClellan, who started in place of Robinson, nearly reached the century mark as well, rushing for 97 yards on 12 carries. He also added a 9-yard touchdown reception from Bryce Young.

Like Williams, McClellan also broke off a couple of big gains, recording a 27-yard run in the first quarter and a 25-yard run in the third quarter. Heading into Saturday, Alabama had just two runs of 20 or more yards on the season.

Alabama isn’t a stranger to star power at the tight end position. In the past five years, the Tide has produced a first-round pick in O.J. Howard as well as a second-round selection in Irv Smith Jr.

However, Alabama’s offense has never had anything like the dual-powered attack it features at the position this year.

Cameron Latu continued his strong start to the season Saturday while Jahleel Billingsley built on his recent momentum. Together, the duo combined for eight receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns as they proved too much to handle for Southern Miss’ defense.

“Tight ends are one of the best mismatch players you can have on the field because the people covering them aren’t always the best guys,” Saban said. “Sometimes they’re linebackers, sometimes a safety. So when you have guys that are capable of making plays in the passing game, I think it’s a huge asset to the offense.”

Latu ended the night with three receptions for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Through three games, the converted outside linebacker has eight catches for 119 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns.

“Cam has really come a long way,” Saban said. “He’s got a lot of confidence. He’s blocking well. He doesn’t make a lot of mental errors. He’s really done a great job of catching the football. He’s always had really good hands, but I think his confidence has really improved.”

After spending the beginning of the season in Saban’s doghouse, Billingsley has broken out the past two weeks. After recording a 26-yard touchdown reception against Florida, the junior led Alabama in receiving Saturday night, pulling in five receptions for 105 yards, including a 16-yard score from Young in the first quarter.

“Jahleel is someone that’s super dynamic, super explosive,” Young said. “You got to see week by week how people are going to play him, and for him to be contributing definitely makes our offense a lot better.”

Alabama allowed Florida to tear apart its defense on the ground as the Gators averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Southern Miss was never going to put up those types of numbers Saturday, but it was still nice for the Tide to see an improved performance from its run defense.

Alabama allowed Southern Miss to run for just 82 yards as the Golden Eagles averaged a pedestrian 2.5 yards per attempt. The statistics were padded by a few big second-half runs as the Tide limited Southern Miss to just 0.57 yards per carry heading into the break.

Alabama allowed five runs of 10 yards or more in the second half as the Golden Eagles recorded 75 yards on the ground after the break. The Tide will likely need to make even more improvements if it’s going to slow down a red-hot Ole Miss running game next week. The Rebels are currently averaging 6.18 yards per attempt through three games.

“I think there are some opportunities we left out there on the field, you know some things we could have done better” linebacker Christian Harris said. “We’re just going to look back at it on the film I guess and fix whatever we have messed up this game. I think we improved a little bit on last week. But like I said, I still feel like we left a lot of opportunities on the field, so we just got to get ready for next week.”

Despite easily putting away Southern Miss, Alabama still couldn’t shake its penalty problems. The Tide was flagged seven times for 60 yards Saturday night, preventing two big punt returns from JoJo Earle while also allowing the Golden Eagles to extend an eventual scoring drive in the fourth quarter.

A holding call on Ja’Corey Brooks wiped out what would have been a 48-yard punt return by Earle in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Trey Sanders was called for a block in the back that negated a 27-yard return from Earle. Cornerback Josh Jobe was then flagged for a pass interference penalty on a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter as Southern Miss went on to score its second touchdown two plays later.

Through four games, Alabama has been flagged 35 times for 314 yards.

Young tossed a career-high five touchdown passes while going 20 of 22 for 313 yards. However, he wasn’t the only Alabama quarterback to shine on the day.

Redshirt sophomore Paul Tyson finished the game 2 of 3 for 53 yards, connecting with Javon Baker for a 35-yard pass before finding Latu for 23 yards. Meanwhile, true freshman Jalen Milroe threw the first touchdown pass of his career when he connected with Baker for a 24-yard score in the fourth quarter.