Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Wants Alabama to Avoid “Shenanigans” and Get Run Game Going Early Vs. Indiana

The Crimson Tide's rushing attack has not been up to the Alabama standard during the 2025 season, but Alabama has found ways to win without it. Senior running back Jam Miller leads Alabama's rushing attack with 504 yards and three touchdowns, but has missed four games this season due to injury, and missed part of a fifth game.

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Despite the lack of success in the run game, Alabama has seen flashes when running the ball late in the season, with Miller leading the Tide with 83 rushing yards against Auburn, and Daniel Hill averaging 4.9 yards per carry in his 43-yard, one-touchdown performance in the Tide's 34-24 victory over Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Hill's 30-yard run against Oklahoma was the Tide's second-longest run of the season.

The flashes have been there against quality opponents, such as Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Auburn, while Alabama poured it on with the ground game late in the season against Eastern Illinois. How can Alabama build on those flashes when the season is on the line against No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl?

"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."

By this point in the season, Alabama likely knows the run game isn't going to jolt awake suddenly. However, if Alabama wants to extend its season beyond the first day of 2026, the Tide can't end a game with negative rushing yardage, which it did in a 28-7 defeat by Georgia in the SEC championship (-3). Grubb thinks fans will see a different Alabama team when the Tide takes the field in Pasadena, California.

"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."

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

Alabama ran the ball 25 times for 28 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the playoffs, with the Sooners ranked No. 2 in rushing defense this season. After removing sack yardage from the Tide's rushing total (Ty Simpson was sacked four times for 35 yards), Alabama ended with 63 rushing yards, averaging three yards per carry. The competition level won't drop off much, with the Hoosiers ranked No. 3 in rushing defense, allowing just 2.89 yards per rush and 77.6 rushing yards per game.

Alabama will face top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Thursday, January 1, 2026, in Pasadena, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT.

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Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.