For all of Kalen DeBoer’s offensive firepower, a familiar ghost haunts Alabama’s championship hopes: a run game that sputters when it matters most. As of now, the Alabama Crimson Tide has hit an all-time low in rushing touchdowns since 2006, and critics are already on it. And as the Tide prepares for the Rose Bowl, Ryan Grubb’s message is clear for both the team and his quarterback, Ty Simpson.

“We’ve got to stop doing these first-quarter shenanigans, waiting to get the run game going until the second and third quarters. We’re capable of doing it earlier in the game. We’ve got good enough players. The schemes are in place. We just have to execute them earlier in the football game,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb shares with the media ahead of the Rose Bowl.

“I didn’t think that’s been our problem lately. A couple of games where we’ve gotten off to a slow start. It hasn’t been the case all year, but in some critical games, I just didn’t feel like we were ready for the physical strain early on, and the guys know they’re up for the challenge. I think we’ll see a different football team in the first quarter at the Rose Bowl.”

Alabama achieved an impressive 10-2 regular-season run, earning a first-round playoff berth. They beat Oklahoma and are now heading to the Rose Bowl against Indiana. Despite that, the run game has earned criticism for its failure to get going.

In the playoff match against Oklahoma, Alabama took its revenge by snuffing out John Mateer’s offense to a 34-24 win. But look closely, and you’ll find cracks appear. In 60 minutes, they barely rushed for 28 yards on 25 carries, having recorded zero ground attacks in the first 15 minutes.

However, RB Daniel Hill’s 30-yard game-winning sprint earned praise, but the core issue remains that Alabama is struggling to run the ball. The worst of it was against the LSU Tigers, when the Tide succumbed to a mere 2.2 yards per carry, covering 56 yards.

So far, Bama has averaged merely 3.43 rushing yards per carry against its opponents’ 3.68 yards. On paper, it presents a bleak picture, but in reality, the situation is even more dire. The SEC powerhouse ranks second-last in the conference, averaging 109.9 yards per game.

Presently, the Tide has recorded a mere 10 touchdowns, with the highest total by RB Daniel Hill, who contributed six touchdowns for 271 yards. With the national championship at stake, Grubb is making sure that Indiana’s elite defense fails to put a stop on his offense.

However, this is not the first time Bama has been struggling with its run game. Ahead of its face-off against John Mateer’s Oklahoma (regular-season), legendary Nick Saban had some invaluable advice for their poor run game. Simpson has talented weapons in the offensive backfield in Jam Miller and Daniel Hill. Still, the offensive line needs to sustain the pressure against the defensive wall.

“Throw the ball when they think you’re gonna run it and just keep getting explosive plays that way,” Nick Saban shared. “If you want to run it, run it when they think you’re gonna throw it, and maybe you’ll do a better job and develop some confidence in your ability to run the ball.”

Has the Crimson Tide improved the run game ever since? Well, the Oklahoma game (regular-season) turned into an absolute disaster, with Simpson’s offense creating three major turnovers, ending in a brutal 21-23 loss.

Then came Auburn.

Bama recorded 158 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. But Auburn gave them a reality check by averaging a similar 4.2 yards per carry. The SEC showdown against Georgia (title game) had the cracks reappear. While recording -3 yards for the entire game, the offense became one-dimensional as OC Grubb tried to establish a zone-run scheme.

However, after one interception, four tackles for loss, and three sacks later, the Dawgs handed them a 28-7 brutal defeat. And the poor run game absolutely played a part in that.

Can Ty Simpson’s offense reboot against No.1 Indiana?

Ryan Grubb’s message for Ty Simpson

Entering the Rose Bowl Stadium as the underdogs, Ty Simpson has a lot piled up on his plate right now. Despite the criticism and the chip on the shoulder mentality, Grubb is confident that his QB1 can pull it off. And the first-round game against Oklahoma showed enough of that grit.

“He was in the zone as far as staying locked into the game,” he said. “I really felt like he knew that we were gonna make a play.”

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Simpson’s offense had a sluggish start, 0-10 in the first fifteen minutes. But that didn’t deter the Crimson Tide from creating explosive plays. By the time the game bled into halftime, they had the score tied at 17-17.

In what became an impressive performance over the next 30 minutes, Alabama gained 17 points, defeating the Sooners in a 34-24 nail-biting contest.