The attrition at running back continues: Desherrius Flowers is ineligible this fall..

BamaInBham

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That really just came down to the luck of the draw of how he fell in the playing rotation. IMO, Lacy was the best of that group, but has far fewer yards just because of his timing. He came in when Ingram and Richardson were already here. Yeldon gets to play a ton as a freshman because Richardson and Ingram had rotated out. CNS gives the bulk of the carries to the top 2 backs most of the time, with the 3rd guy getting some mop up here and there.
Yeldon, Ingram and Richardson had approx the same number of carries: 576, 572 and 540 respectively. YPC tells the tale anyway and Yeldon was at least the equal of Ingram and Richardson in that regard. The next few years will throw more light on the subject.

My primary contention was that many fans did not count Yeldon as in the same category with the other 3 - I was simply making the case that he did belong. IMO, TJ is under appreciated. (I actually think he is probably a better pure runner than either Mark or Trent.)
 

gtgilbert

All-American
Aug 12, 2011
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Yeldon, Ingram and Richardson had approx the same number of carries: 576, 572 and 540 respectively. YPC tells the tale anyway and Yeldon was at least the equal of Ingram and Richardson in that regard. The next few years will throw more light on the subject.

My primary contention was that many fans did not count Yeldon as in the same category with the other 3 - I was simply making the case that he did belong. IMO, TJ is under appreciated. (I actually think he is probably a better pure runner than either Mark or Trent.)
Yeldon was certainly a good player for us, just a different type of RB. I don't have data to back it up, but my thoughts are that Yeldon likely had more longer runs, but also had more runs where we was stopped at or barely beyond the LOS. Average is still good, but the consistency wasn't. Contrast that to Ingram and TR, and those guys were rarely stopped cold. When we needed 2 yards for a first down, there was a high amount of faith we could get it with Mark or Trent. With TJ, that faith wasn't nearly as high...
 

colbysullivan

Hall of Fame
Dec 12, 2007
16,697
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Gulf Breeze, FL
TJ was one of the all-time greats to play at Bama. He would be much more highly regarded if he hadn't fumbled as much. Still, you can't argue with his production. The stats speak for themselves.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
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Yeldon was certainly a good player for us, just a different type of RB. I don't have data to back it up, but my thoughts are that Yeldon likely had more longer runs, but also had more runs where we was stopped at or barely beyond the LOS. Average is still good, but the consistency wasn't. Contrast that to Ingram and TR, and those guys were rarely stopped cold. When we needed 2 yards for a first down, there was a high amount of faith we could get it with Mark or Trent. With TJ, that faith wasn't nearly as high...
How much of that was due to the OLs each RB had blocking for him? Look at how TJ was in 2012 behind that line. Compare that to 2013 and 2014. He had to make guys miss.
 

JustNeedMe81

Hall of Fame
Sep 30, 2011
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2012-2013- Fumbled 3 times and lost the ball twice
2013-2014- fumbled 5 times and lost the ball 4 times.
2014-2015- Fumbled twice and lost the ball once.
Let me remind you that Drake had same issues too:
2012-2013 Fumbled 1 and lost one.
2013-2014- Fumbled 4 times and lost it 3 times
2014-2015- Fumbled 1 and lost 1.
Both players had bad year, fumbling a lot the same year.. but both improved next year. I just think Yeldon and Drake improved a lot
and I think their fumble issues is over.. but we'll see how Yeldon does in NFL and Drake this year.


TJ was one of the all-time greats to play at Bama. He would be much more highly regarded if he hadn't fumbled as much. Still, you can't argue with his production. The stats speak for themselves.
 

B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
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When comparing stats, also consider that Yeldon ran behind a much weaker O-Line (other than his freshman season). Yeldon and Drake are amazing RBs, as is Henry. If you get any kind of consistent play from your O-line this year, depth or not, look out.
 

gtgilbert

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How much of that was due to the OLs each RB had blocking for him? Look at how TJ was in 2012 behind that line. Compare that to 2013 and 2014. He had to make guys miss.
There's certainly something to that, but it's not like we had a super star OL in 2009 when Ingram was in his first year as a starter. that OL had Drew Davis, Vlachos, and a first year Warmack who had not yet matured into the bulldozer he became later on. Ingram just hit the hole so fast and so hard that it only had to be a tiny crease and he was through. Yeldon doesn't run that way. that doesn't mean he wasn't very good, but he's a different style runner that was a change from what we had with Ingram, TR and Lacy
 

CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
12,757
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Yeldon hardly played in the Ohio State game. Was he hurt?
He is looking good in Jacksonville.
IIRC, TJ was nicked up just about all of last year. Think it was an ankle or hamstring. He never could get his second burst because of the nagging injury..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

bama579

Hall of Fame
Jan 15, 2005
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The Chukker or Archibalds
Does anyone else have a nugget of info - such as Tider J did with the potential JUCOLL transfer - that might help us with a relatively thin running back roster? Walk-on . . . Anything relative to the thread topic, maybe?
 

bodiddle

All-SEC
May 14, 2006
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As everyone knows Flowers enrolled early in January. It appears his eligibility was not properly vetted. otherwise he could have stayed in high school and done what he needed to do to become eligible for the fall. Did someone in the athletic department drop the ball?
 

RTR91

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Nov 23, 2007
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Alabama reportedly adds walk-on to help running back depth


Needing depth at running back, Alabama is turning to an in-state player.

Demetrice Vaughan, who recently graduated from Blount High School, will walk-on for the Crimson Tide this fall, TideSports.com first reported. His high school coach, Mark Hurt, told AL.com he hadn't heard anything concrete about the walk-on position, but he'd heard rumblings.

Back in February, Vaughan signed with Mississippi Delta Community College
 

bamanut_aj

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2000
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Spring Hill, TN
coudnt be. he had plenty of carries during his 4 years at Bama. I think he even had a 100 yard game once. or close to it.
Chris played extensively as a Freshman in the '90 season. I was a '91 graduate from the same HS, Huntsville High. He didn't play much at all after his Freshman season


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bama579

Hall of Fame
Jan 15, 2005
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Andrew Buie - the ex-West Verginia back considering us- has enrolled at Charlotte [used to be UNC Charlotte, I think]. Looks like we're going with Henry, Drake, and first-year collegiate-level guys. Big opportunity for Harris and Vaughn.

Can't find info on Deshawn Jones transferring in from JuColl.
 
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