Film Room: Bryce Young's Effectiveness on the Ground
In this story:
It's no secret that Bryce Young is a great athlete.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has always been a mobile quarterback in his time at Alabama, constantly showing off his elusiveness in the pocket to evade would-be tacklers before slinging the ball downfield.
Despite his pocket mobility, though, Young has rarely put his legs to use to actually take off downfield and collect rushing yards on his stat sheet. This was even a popular complaint about Young's game from Alabama fans last season, as it was obvious that he had the rushing ability but was not using it.
Because sack yards are counted against a quarterback's total rushing yards in college football, Young netted 0 total yards on the ground last season, and only gained positive rushing yardage in six out of 15 games.
The exact reason for Young's lack of run game last season is unknown, but in Alabama's 55-0 thrashing of Utah State in Week 1, Young's legs were one of the biggest stories and surprises of the game.
Young finished the game with 100 yards rushing and one touchdown on just five attempts, including a 63 yard scramble in the second quarter.
The 100 rushing yards were a career high by far, with the next closest coming against Tennessee in 2021 when he rushed for 42 yards.
Below, let's take a look at some of Young's rushes against Utah State and how they happened.
3rd and 12, 13:38 2Q
In a third-and-long situation on Utah State's side of the field, Alabama lined up with four wide receivers and a runner back in the backfield while Utah State sent a five-man rush.
The pocket started to break down on the left side, which forced Young to roll to his right. While the majority of his wide receivers ran deeper routes downfield, the running back, Roydell Williams in this case, hung roughly two yards past the line of scrimmage as a security blanket.
When Young rolled out he saw the Utah State defenders all preoccupied with their men, and directed Williams to block for him as he picked up speed and gained 18 yards on the rush.
Young could have made the safer play and thrown the checkdown pass to Williams, and last season that is likely the decision he would have made. This decision was much more aggressive than those we have seen from Young in the past.
1st and 10, 11:08 2Q
Just minutes after the previous play, Alabama faced a first-and-10 on its own 23 yard line to begin its next drive.
Wide receiver Kobe Prentice was brought in motion from the left to the right side, and Young faked a handoff to running back Jahmyr Gibbs to sell the run play while the other two wide receivers ran deeper vertical routes.
Normally if both deep wide receivers were covered, Young would have an outlet with Prentice hovering around the line of scrimmage for a checkdown pass. The line collapsed from the right side, which kept Young from being able to see Prentice.
Because of the fake handoff, Utah State's linebackers jumped towards the line of scrimmage, leaving seven Aggies rushing the passer and one scrambling to find his man once he realized it was no longer a run play.
Young scrambled left to escape the pressure from his right, and once he got to the sideline he had enough speed to get the edge because of how many Aggie defenders were stuck in the middle after they bit on the play action. This led to a 63 yard scramble down the sideline which set up another Alabama touchdown three plays later.
1st and 10, 0:43 2Q
Now running a two-minute drill, Alabama moved the ball down to the Utah State 30 yard line with halftime approaching.
Alabama lined up in a four wide receiver set, with three receivers bunched out to the right and one wide to the left, as well as a running back in the backfield.
After the snap Young got great protection from his offensive line with a clean pocket, but no one down the field was open enough for a pass. Gibbs, the running back, flared out to the left for a swing pass and his man, who was the only man left in the middle of the field, followed him
With Gibbs' man tracking the potential swing pass, the middle of the field was left wide open for Young to gash the Aggie defense for a very easy 22 yard scramble.
2nd and Goal, 13:41 3Q
Young's final touchdown of the night was also by far his easiest.
In a goal-to-go scenario, Alabama lined up a tight end and receiver to the short side of the field to go with two receivers stacked on the wide side.
When the ball was snapped, all three receivers, the tight end, and the running back all run routes while Utah State rushed five defenders. The Aggies dropped two defenders to the left to cover two receivers, but on the right side Utah State dropped four defenders to only three offensive player for the Crimson Tide.
Because of the extra defender in coverage on the right side and the stellar pass blocking from the offensive line, Young went unaccounted for and strolled in for a walk-in four yard touchdown.
With all of these plays there was a common theme: Young was unaccounted for by the defense.
There are so many weapons in the Alabama offense to pick up that in an effort to ensure they were all covered Young was freed up to make plays with his legs without the Utah State defense running a quarterback spy.
It makes sense for teams to not have a man account for Young as a runner because of his infrequency to do so in the past, but after Saturday's rushing performance Young has added an entirely new element to the Alabama offensive attack for teams to worry about.
And yes, Utah State isn’t quite what Alabama will be facing in the SEC. After a strong start, though, it will be interesting to monitor Young's rushing numbers as the season progresses, especially next week on the road against the Texas Longhorns.
See Also:
This Alabama Defense Could Be Something Special
Heisman Hangover? Not for Alabama's Bryce Young
Hard to Find Fault in Alabama’s Defensive Effort Against Utah State
New Receivers, No Problem for Alabama Football in Season Opener
Kobe Prentice Has a Strong Showing in His Debut for Alabama
