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Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.
Watch the above video as Alabama Crimson Tide on SI football writer and assistant editor Katie Windham discusses whether or not Alabama will have a 100-yard rusher in this Saturday's game against Vanderbilt?
Daniel Hill rushed for 104 yards in Alabama's SEC opener against Kentucky back in Week 2, and that was the one and only time a Crimson Tide player has rushed for 100 yards in a game this season.
Will that change this Saturday against Vanderbilt?
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Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Monday that the offense has to find a way to get the ground game back on track, and this week might be that opportunity.
The Crimson Tide should be committed to the run with Grubb's goal in mind. Plus, with Keelon Russell dealing with some nagging injuries, Alabama will want to take as much off his plate as possible. Head coach Kalen DeBoer has also talked about controlling the clock against a team like Vanderbilt and having a successful ground game is one of the best ways to do that.
Alabama has been facing some elite defenses during this stretch without a 100-yard rusher. Clark Lea's team plays hard, but Vanderbilt is not elite, so the Crimson Tide should have better opportunities to run the ball. Despite just one win in conference play last week against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in SEC play.
One of the biggest reasons Alabama hasn't had a rusher surpass that marker since Hill in Week 2 is because the Crimson Tide has a running back by committee approach to the ground game. Between Hill, freshman Trae'shawn Brown and freshman EJ Crowell, the carries normally get spread around when all guys are healthy.
Alabama needs a more balanced attack offensively if it wants to have success in the postseason, and the next three games against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn are all opportunities for the Crimson Tide to prove that it can be a running team.
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Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball, gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.
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