Tide’s success may depend on ground game

[Crimson Surfer]

Tide’s success may depend on ground game

If there’s one position on the University of Alabama football team that will be directly reflective of how Saturday’s season opener against Hawaii is going, it’s running back.

Granted, the more any football team runs the ball the better it’s probably doing, but this week that’s especially true, and not only because sophomore John Parker Wilson will make his first start at quarterback.

 

[TheCrimsonLiver]

Bingo!

 

[NG]

And Bama's total score may depend on how many TDs and FGs they make

 

[JD95]

The running game will determine the Tide's success not only against Hawaii, but all year long. The offensive game plan will be something like run, run, run, pass, run, run, run, run, run, pass, run, run, run some more . . .

 

[uaintn]

MAY? Figure "will", "shall" and "absolutely" were all too long to fit over the article?

 

[CrimsonDuck]

How many yards per game will we average rushing? The past three years we've averaged somewhere around 170 a game. I highly doubt we average any more rushing yards per game than we have the past couple seasons. JPW is a more than capable passer, and much more mobile than Brodie. He's shown he is a pretty accurate passer when rolling out...and I have to think he has a better deep ball than Brodie, who tended to not put enough air on the ball. The offensive line really has been a pretty good run blocking team overall...it's been in pass protection that they've been so inept. Bama is going to rack up yards...it's all about what happens in the red-zone.

 

[NG]

How many yards per game will we average rushing? The past three years we've averaged somewhere around 170 a game. I highly doubt we average any more rushing yards per game than we have the past couple seasons. JPW is a more than capable passer, and much more mobile than Brodie. He's shown he is a pretty accurate passer when rolling out...and I have to think he has a better deep ball than Brodie, who tended to not put enough air on the ball. The offensive line really has been a pretty good run blocking team overall...it's been in pass protection that they've been so inept. Bama is going to rack up yards...it's all about what happens in the red-zone.

Didn't all the lost yardage due to sacks count against our rushing yards? So in agreeing with the statements you made about this years team I fully expect an increase pending no injuries in the OL. Darby will probably have 2 or 3 games at that amount himself.

 

[CrimsonDuck]

Well unless CMS breaks out the option this year, there is no way we'll average 200 yards rushing a game. It's just not that kind of offense. Bama would have to average at LEAST 5+ yards per carry on the year, and still might not make it to 200 yards a game. CMS wants to run the ball to set up the pass. It is a pro-style offense all the way. Bama would have to be absolutely bulldozing defenses to average that many yards a game on the ground...and against SEC D's bulldozing isn't too common. Bama averaged 179 rushing yards a game during 1999, which was the most successful offensive season of the past decade.

And also, sack yardage definitely is a factor in overall rushing yards per game, but you're only talking about losing 250 net yards on the ground in bad sack years...which isn't really enough to lose that many yards on your overall average.

 

[OLDTIDE]

The running game will be our strong suit on offense but I sure hope our defense steps up early on or we could be in trouble by the Gator game.