Tide trio running through opponents

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing, but the Crimson Tide pounds defenses with a trio of running backs, not one star.

Michael Smith of Arkansas leads the league, averaging more than 131 yards per game. Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno averages more than 115 yards per game.

The Crimson Tide’s leading rusher, Glen Coffee, is fourth in the conference individual leaders with 104.8 yards per game, behind LSU’s Charles Scott (110.7). But Coffee didn’t lead the team in rushing in Saturday’s victory over Tennessee.

Neither did freshman Mark Ingram, who is ranked ninth in the SEC.

Roy Upchurch, the team’s No. 3 running back, gained 86 yards on 14 carries to pace the Crimson Tide. Coffee finished with 78 yards on 19 carries. Ingram rushed four times for one yard.

The trio of Coffee, Ingram and Upchurch is a three-headed, six-legged monster for Alabama opponents.

“No. 1 it keeps them fresh. No. 2, hopefully you minimize injury over the long haul by having guys not getting beat up as much over the course of the year,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday. “The last three games we’ve played have been very physical games.”

Upchurch, who lined up at times at fullback — a rare formation for the Tide this season — said he likes coming into the game against a weary defense.

“We’re all kind of similar, but I kind of bring a little more burst to the game,” Upchurch said with a smile. “Glen’s going to hate me for that, Mark’s going to hate me for that, but I’m just being honest. I bring a little more burst to the game, a little more speed through the holes, just getting where I need to go.”

Running behind a big, veteran offensive line doesn’t hurt either of the backs.

“The same defense is going to be out there the whole time. Those guys are getting tired. We’re banging on them, then those guys have got to run around and after you bang on them, they’ve still got to make the tackle. when Roy’s coming in there or Glen, whoever it is,” center Antoine Caldwell said. “It’s great for us. it just wears the defense down over time. That’s what we did on Saturday.”

Caldwell said it’s evident when the depth takes its toll.

“Some of the same cuts that weren’t there early in the game, the running backs are making in the fourth quarter. They’re missing tackles, taking bad angles. That’s because of fatigue.”

Saban said each of the runners is more similar than different.

“I don’t think that there’s a big style difference between the three guys that we’re playing,” the coach said. “I think they’re all pretty good receivers, they can all run the ball north and south, they all can get outside with the ball and they’re all pretty effective blockers.
“That’s a unique circumstance and a good one for us to have, because we don’t really give up anything when any of the three of them are running it.”

That ground attack shortens games and has enabled the Tide to hold the football, maintain leads and shorten the game.

“We’ll let the 40-second clock run all the way down, then we’ll run a play, then we’ll let it run down again,” quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “And the way we’re running the ball, the more you’re running it the longer the clock (runs).”

Tennessee had just 17 offensive plays in the second half.

Alabama-LSU on CBS: Alabama’s final road game of the regular season — Nick Saban’s return to LSU — will be broadcast nationally on CBS with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

Standouts recognized: Alabama freshman receiver Julio Jones, who caught six passes for a season-best 103 yards against Tennessee, was named the Freshman of the Week by the Southeastern Conference. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound standout from Foley became the first Alabama to top 100 yards receiving this season. Jones and eight teammates earned recognition from the Alabama coaching after the Tennessee game.

Offensive standouts were quarterback John Parker Wilson, who was 17-for-24 passing for 188 yards, center Antoine Caldwell and running back Roy Upchurch.

Top defensive players were safety Rashad Johnson, linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive lineman Bobby Greenwood.

Coverage specialist Chris Rogers and placekicker Leigh Tiffin were honored for their special teams play.

Banged up, but not hurt: Alabama’s 8-0 start is attributable to its remarkable good health this season.

“It’s been huge. The only injury we’ve had really is Terrence Cody,” Antoine Caldwell said. “It’s been great to have that consistency and that continuity on the offensive line, the defensive line and this whole football team.”

Saban called Alabama’s health “paramount” to his team’s success.

“It’s certainly beneficial to improvement and it’s certainly beneficial to team chemistry, guys playing together and knowing what to expect,” said Saban, who said several players were bruised and sore, but no one was seriously injured against Tennessee.

Monday, Cody (sprained knee) and receiver Earl Alexander (foot/ankle) were the only two players in black (no contact) jerseys at practice.

Caldwell said staying healthy to this point has allowed Alabama to develop its depth.

“Especially early in the year, when we were kind of putting it on some people, we got some young guys in to play and it added some depth to our football team,” the senior center said.

Hunting Red Wolves: This week’s homecoming opponent, Arkansas State, is largely unknown to most Alabama players. But a look at the stat sheet earned a few double-takes.

The Red Wolves (4-3), a Sun Belt Conference member, opened the season with an 18-14 victory at Texas A&M. They scored 83 points on Texas Southern the following week.

“Any time you get a team that scores 83 points, it’s definitely some offense going on and players making plays, regardless of who they’re playing against,” Johnson said. “There’s definitely a thought in the back of your mind that these guys can put up points. It’s going to be a good task for us.”