Alabama's running back coach talks about playing time in the five-man backfield

If this were the NFL, fantasy football owners would be tearing their hair out over Alabama's offensive backfield.

Consider Saturday's opening win, a 63-0 rout of Western Kentucky, when Justice Haynes (four attempts), Jam Miller (five attempts), Richard Young (six attempts), Daniel Hill (nine attempts) and Kevin Riley (seven attempts) shared time at running back, with starkly different results — Haynes averaged 25.5 yards per carry, while Young averaged just 1.3.

But this is college football, and running backs coach Robert Gillespie doesn't have to listen to fans moan about their fantasy teams. In fact, Gillespie's job isn't to make his own players happy with a certain number of snaps or runs.

“It's just about playing ball,” Gillespie said Wednesday. “The same thing I've done the last three, four years. The same thing I've done everywhere I've been. You have a talented roster, you let the guys play a little bit and get them going because it's a long season. We're trying to play 16, 17 games.”

“It's not about making someone happy, it's about putting in the best player to help us win.”

Head coach Kalen DeBoer has made it clear in his comments since the blowout win that he is resting players' bodies for a season that could potentially last until late January. Alabama rotated players at nearly every position on Saturday, including the kicker position, and the running back was no different.

“Obviously those guys played about 15 to 20 snaps each,” Gillespie said. “They all did that.”

There isn't expected to be a “mother cow” or workhorse in this Alabama backfield. Since the spring, Haynes and Miller have been the main figures as 1A and 1B, and although Haynes was in the starting lineup against Western Kentucky, that may not mean much going forward.

“He was the first one out,” Gillespie explained. “That's what we always tell our guys: It doesn't matter who starts. All of these guys are going to play. Last week he was the first one out, and every week it's a question of the week who goes first.”

“But he went out there and made the most of his opportunity. He went out there and played well. He blocked. When he had the opportunity, he ran the ball hard. It was nice to see him go out there and play.”

Haynes sprinted for an 85-yard touchdown run, while Miller added a 39-yard touchdown run and averaged 10.8 yards per carry. How Gillespie will use his two best backs will be based on feel rather than a predetermined plan.

“If you're running really well and making the plays, you're going to play more,” he said. “I think they know that. It's all about winning. That's why they put all those numbers on the 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 are going to keep playing.”

Young, the sophomore running back who flashed in the spring, managed just eight yards on his six carries.

“Richard did some good things,” Gillespie said. “He didn't have a lot of chances, but when he did, I think he ran the ball hard between the tackles. The worst part was playing off the ball. He did a really good job in pass protection. That's the one thing I wanted to see: Who's the guy that can get in the game next without him slacking off? That's what you talk about: When you bring in a defender, the next defender has to do the same thing, and the next defender, because it's a long season.

“I think he's done some good things in pass defense and hopefully we'll continue to see him develop as a runner.”

And then there was Hill, the 241-pound freshman from Mississippi, who rushed for 29 yards on nine attempts, including a 2-yard touchdown.

“He's still a young guy,” Gillespie said. “He's still trying to figure out his body. But he's a big, physical guy. The vision for him is to be a guy that can move the pile, the physical hammer and not the nail. You want all of those guys to be different. But he's a physical guy that has a build and size that's reminiscent of some of those old-school Alabama running backs that can go downhill and move the pile.

“He's also a versatile guy. He was a quarterback in high school. He's got really good hands. He's not the typical guy that just goes down the hill and grabs big. He's got a long way to go, just learning the ropes and how to play without the football. He's got to keep working on that. He wants it, but he still has to learn how to do it, and that's true for any high school freshman.

“So we will take our time with him and hopefully over the course of the season he will become a better defender overall and will be able to play more. … His technique [as a blocker] isn't there, but he's a big physical guy. That will come because he wants to be a good blocker. So I'm excited to see what he could become.”