Bama's offense comes to play in championship and bowl games, especially the rushing attack.
Since 2007, Alabama has appeared in 3 SEC Championship games (2008, 2009, 2012), 2 non-BCS bowl games (Independence Bowl after the 2007 season, Capital One Bowl after 2010 season), 1 BCS bowl game (Sugar Bowl after 2008 season), and 2 BCS National Championship games (after 2009 and 2011 seasons).
In those games, Bama faced defenses that on average were giving up 107 yards per game, 3.24 yards per carry, and less than a TD per game on the ground. In those games, Bama (on average), rushed for 191 yards per game, 4.55 yards per carry, and scored 2.4 TDs on the ground. Those teams gave up about twice the rushing yards to Bama as to other opponents during the season and about three times the rushing TDs. This is for post season from 2007 to present.
If you look at post season 2009 to present, Bama has been even more dominant against more dominant defenses. In two SECCG appearances (2009 and 2012), the 2010 Capital One Bowl, and two BCSCG appearances (following 2009 and 2011 seasons), Bama has faced defenses giving up 104 yards per game on the ground, only 3.06 yards per carry, and barely over half (0.59) of a rushing TD per game. Bama gained an average of 246 yards per game, 5.23 yards per carry, and 3.4 TDs against these defenses. That's more than twice the average per game and about 1.7 times the average per rush against these defenses. The rushing TDs by Bama were almost 6 times the average allowed by these defenses.
Some specifics:
- In 2009, Florida gave up 3 rushing TDs all season before playing Bama in the SECCG and they gave up 3 to Bama in that game.
- Bama rushed for 251 yards against Florida in that same game, which was about three times what they gave up on average.
- Bama pulled basically the same performance against Texas in the 2009 BCSCG as against Florida. Texas had given up five rushing TDs all season and Bama had 4 rushing TDs in that game. Bama also rushed for 205 against UT, which was more than three times their average of 62 ypg.
- In the Capital One Bowl against Michigan State, Bama had 6 rushing TDs and 275 yards on the ground. The Sparty D had only allowed an average of 0.8 TDs per game and 122 ypg during the season. This was against B1G teams, which traditionally are good rushing teams.
- Against LSU, Bama's rushing attack was held in check better than against most opponents, but Bama still managed to rush (150 yards on 35 carries)for almost double what LSU allowed on average (85 yards on 33 carries). Rather than the typical rush-heavy Tide game plan, Bama's strategy planned to use a conservative, efficient passing attack to control the game and it did the job very well.
- Georgia was giving up 163 ypg on an already generous 3.82 yards per carry and 1.1 TDs per game. Bama still took far more than offered (350 yards, 6.86 ypc, and 3 TDs on the ground).
Percentage-wise, since 2009 Bama's rushing attack outperforms their defensive opponent by these amounts:
Rushing yards: 237% (246 yards by Bama, 104 yards allowed by opponent defense per game excepting Bama)
Rushing yards per carry: 171% (5.23 ypc by Bama, 3.06 ypc allowed by opponent defense per game excepting Bama)
Rushing TDs: 576% (3.4 TDs by Bama, 0.59 TDs allowed by opponent defense per game excepting Bama)
Rushing first downs: 200% (12 by Bama, 6 allowed by opponent defense per game excepting Bama)
If Bama performs against Notre Dame like they performed against those defenses, Bama's rushing numbers would be 40 carries for 218 yards (5.41 ypc) and 1 TD. However, I think that the numbers will be better than this, at least in the number of rushing TDs. Notre Dame has given up 2 TDs all season, which is similar to the numbers allowed by other rushing defenses in big games prior to playing Bama (UF had allowed 3 in 2009, UT had allowed 5 in 2009). Other than against LSU (we had a fairly absymal red-zone offense last season) in the BCSCG, Bama has scored at least 3 TDs rushing in the big games since 2009. I think that our two thousand-yard running backs, which are running behind probably the best offensive line ever at Alabama, wants to continue that type of dominance.
We've heard the drumbeat about their great rushing defense from opponents before. The misleading thing for those opponents is that they rarely face teams that can truly pound the ball like Bama can. Once again, as we've said to every opponent we've faced in the post-season, you're about to find out if your rushing defense is a contender, or a pretender. None have really fared well.