Robert Gillespie explains his philosophy on the separation of Jam Miller and Judge Haynes

The 1-2 punch at running back is a tool the Alabama Crimson Tide has used several times over the past few decades. Some examples include Mark Ingram splitting time with Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy splitting time with TJ Yeldon, and Bo Scarbrough splitting time with Damien Harris. Each of these players won at least one national championship while sharing a backfield.

Today, it appears the Crimson Tide are pulling off another one-two punch in the backfield between Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. In the season opener against Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers were unable to stop the two, as they totaled 156 yards and two touchdowns in a small sample size of nine combined runs. Each of their touchdowns was their longest run of the night, as Miller scored from 35 yards and Haynes broke free and ran 85 yards to the finish.

On Wednesday, Alabama running backs coach Robert Gillespie spoke about his position's performance as a unit against WKU, saying they “made the most of the opportunity” in all facets of the running game, including blocking. But now Gillespie has turned the tables on last week, as the Crimson Tide host South Florida on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. Before the rematch, Gillespie explained that splitting the snaps wasn't necessarily his ultimate game plan, even though Miller and Haynes each logged 15-20 snaps last week.

“It doesn't matter who starts or who goes on the field first,” Gillespie said. “It's about whoever gets hot and makes the plays, that's the guy who's going to play more, and I think they know that. It's all about winning, and that's why there are these [national championship years] on the [facility’s] Wall. It's about depth and having the next guy ready to play. I try to see who's in the flow and those guys will keep playing.”

Gillespie is one of the very few members of last year's team that new head coach Kalen DeBoer has retained. DeBoer was recruited from Washington 48 hours after legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his resignation on Jan. 10. Gillespie has been with the Crimson Tide since 2021 and said he has followed the same philosophy throughout his tenure.

“It's the same thing I've been doing for three to four years,” Gillespie said. “When you have a talented roster, you have to let the guys play a little bit and let them get going because it's a long season. We're trying to play 16-17 games. It's not about keeping anyone happy, it's about putting in the best player to help us win.”

While some of Miller and Haynes' runs against the Hilltoppers were explosive, many of their runs were short gains. Gillespie explained in detail why each of these types of runs is important, even before the ball is snapped.

“You have to go into games with the mindset of 'I have to line up, read the ball before the snap, and when I have the ball, I just have to react,'” Gillespie said. “Obviously, we want to go for it and do whatever we have to do to gain those nasty 3-4 yards. Then when the opportunity comes to be explosive and get 1-on-1 in space, we have to outsmart an opponent and then we have to get going quickly enough.”

“I think both guys showed they have the speed. But there were also some tough and physical runs where we had to put the padding deep when the offensive line only gave us half a man.”

Gillespie's conclusion: To be a great running back at Alabama, you have to excel in both areas, and Miller and Haynes are off to a great start in those areas.