The 'Shenanigans' Alabama Must Avoid in Run Game for Success Against Indiana

Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb wants the run game to get going very early in the Rose Bowl.

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) runs against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Before Alabama's 34-24 College Football Playoff win at Oklahoma on Dec. 19, head coach Kalen DeBoer said he wanted the No. 9 Crimson Tide to find ways to enhance its identity by using the rushing attack effectively. Even though Alabama was victorious in the game, that largely didn't happen.

Sophomore Daniel Hill had the game-sealing touchdown and broke off a 30-yard run in the second half, one of the team's longest of the season, but the team finished its rematch against the Sooners with 28 yards on the ground and zero in quarter number one.

The Crimson Tide's offense has had moments where the run game shined, like in games opposite Vanderbilt and Missouri (while also doing good things running the football in contests such as Eastern Illinois and Auburn). How can Alabama, and its tailbacks, bring those fortunes to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 when it faces No. 1 Indiana with its season again on the line?

"Gotta get started earlier," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Saturday. "We gotta stop doing this first-quarter shenanigans, waiting to get the run game going till the second and third quarter. We're capable of doing it earlier in the game. We've got good enough players. The scheme's there."

Alabama (11-3) has played enough games, largely against a gauntlet of top-flight opponents, to know that it isn't going to reinvent itself as a run-dominant offense at this stage. That step, however, isn't required in order to not put up a rushing yardage tally in the red, as the Crimson Tide did in the SEC Championship Game with -3 yards rushing. Grubb feels that Alabama will be a different football team in the first quarter in Pasadena.

"That's been our problem as of late, a couple games, where we've gotten off to a slow start. That has not been the case all year, but some critical games, where it just didn't feel like we were ready for the physical strain early on," he said. "The guys know that. They're up for the challenge."

Senior starter Jam Miller has been to the Rose Bowl before. More recently, he has been working back from a lower-body injury from the Iron Bowl that held him out of the SEC title game. He played against the Sooners, tying his second-lowest 2025 mark in yards per carry with 11 yards on seven attempts. Injuries have afflicted Miller throughout the year, but he said he is back to full health.

"It's all about preparation," Miller said Saturday. "Just working with each other just to get that running game going... Indiana, they a great team. Watching they film, they hardly make any mistakes. So, preparation is gonna be a big thing during this game. It's all about who can do they job the best."