The one big thing Bama’s offense hasn’t unlocked ahead of the National Championship

Alabama’s run game gets sorta overlooked. What used to be the foundation the entire offensive machine was built on is now a complementary part.

The Tide have incredibly deep receiving talent, and Tua Tagovailoa is dazzling through the air. The offense is now more air raid in reputation than it is smashmouth.

But dammit, the Tide still have a 5’10’, 216-pound running back who can do this:

Nick Saban wasn’t always happy about it, but he kept with the Joneses, and a few years ago, he let the Tide get turned into a spread outfit. It’s one of the many things that makes Saban the best coach in the history of the sport.

While Bear Bryant evolved his Bama’s team out of necessity after the game had passed him by, Saban preempted that and kept winning championships without any lull.

This picture is unintentionally hilarious.

Fear not, dear reader. The Tide will still mash defenses. Alabama’s rushing attack has evolved just like the rest of its offense. There are the standard zone runs. There are also things like this: counter (two backside blockers coming to the front side) paired with a motioning wide receiver who happens to be the backup quarterback.

Or a different wideout to run an old staple, power, with one lineman pulling:

There’s even some Wildcat mixed in:

Basically all of it is out of the shotgun or pistol, and Tagovailoa doesn’t usually run by design. For the third season in a row, and keeping with a national trend, there is no bell-cow back for the Tide — another thing that points to Bama evolving, as Derrick Henry carried the ball a staggering 395 times in 2015. While Alabama has three rushers that have an equal share of carries, all three of them are actually running backs this year.

Tagovailoa is a dual-threat QB in the literal sense of the term. He’s athletic enough to run. But this isn’t a Jalen Hurts situation. Former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin basically designed the offense around Hurts as a pseudo-running back. That built off of Bama’s initial deviation away from the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust era. The current Bama running game builds off of those innovations (motions/shifts) without emphasizing the QB run element.

Bama’s rushing attack is still great, but what it’s been missing this season is its usual explosiveness. In 2016, Bama had three rushers over 7 Highlight Yards per opportunity. Those are yards per rush beyond the 5 the offensive line is generally responsible for. In 2017, they had two. In 2018, no Tide RB who gets a significant carry load is averaging more than 5.5 Highlight Yards per opportunity. (The national average is around 5.4.)

Of Bama’s 45 scrimmage plays to go more than 30 yards, only eight have been runs. The Tide remain extremely efficient on the ground. They’re No. 3 in Rushing Marginal Efficiency, a measurement of how often their runs are successful based on down and distance. But they’re 82nd in Rushing Marginal Explosiveness, which means they’re not as successful as they could be. The gold standard there is the Oklahoma offense Bama just beat.

Alabama’s rushing attack is plenty deadly, but it’s missing that top gear. And that’s pretty much the only hole in the entire offense. Yes, it’s a marginal argument, but that’s how you gain an edge when you’re as evenly matched as Clemson and Alabama are.

Clemson can control the line of scrimmage like Georgia did at points in the SEC Championship, when Tagovailoa struggled. But Clemson’s front will be missing a key piece in suspended defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is an exceptional run-stuffer. His replacement, Albert Huggins, will have to continue to fill in. Huggins is a former No. 1 recruit in South Carolina, but he’s more natural as a pass-rusher than a run-stopper:

Where Lawrence is elite as both a pass-rusher and run-stuffer, Huggins is slightly better as a pure pass-rusher. Bearing that out, he has 2.5 sacks to Lawrence’s 1.5, despite playing less.

Huggins’ speed likely has to do with his background as a defensive end. He just has more of a defensive tackle’s body at a listed 6’3 and 315. The Tigers shifted him inside, and now he’s a “high-NFL-caliber player” there, according to Dabo Swinney. He’s certainly not bad against the run, but he did play much better against the pass vs. Notre Dame.

Huggins will line up opposite Lester Cotton Sr., the backup Alabama left guard who’s replacing the suspended Deonte Brown for the second game in a row. In those GIFs up above, he’s the offensive lineman who’s pulling. Cotton will play a key role in making sure Bama’s rushing attack stays effective, and if one of those power or counter plays hit for a massive gain, it will probably be his block at the second level that springs it.

If Clemson’s dominant defense can frustrate Tagovailoa like Georgia did, a haymaker on the ground might what Bama needs capture another national title.