Alabama's OL rallying behind mindset of 'Run the damn ball'
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s been stitched on caps and printed on shirts, but the best way to see the new mantra of Alabama’s offensive line is on the field.
During his appearance on the “Hey Coach” radio show, Alabama center Seth McLaughlin donned a white hat with “RUN THE DAMN BALL” across it in red lettering. The same phrase can be found on the hat that’s pinned to first-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ Twitter profile.
“Run the damn ball” has developed into a rallying call for an Alabama offensive line that struggled to pick up yardage on the ground in crucial situations last season. However, the phrase represents more than just brazen confidence from the Crimson Tide’s big uglies.
This spring, they’re taking it to heart.
While Alabama has kept its camp under wraps from the media, sources close to the program have told Tide Illustrated that there has been drastic improvement within the offensive line unit this offseason. The public will get its first chance to see that for itself during this weekend's A-Day game. According to sophomore offensive guard Tyler Booker, Crimson Tide fans are going to like what they see in the scrimmage.
“The way that we're playing, that's how Alabama played when I was growing up,” Booker said Tuesday. “This is what I see Alabama football as. … Everybody is trying to push the pile and things of that nature. That’s just our mindset.”
Alabama didn't move the ball on the ground when it mattered last season, converting on 60% of its first-down opportunities when facing third and fourth downs with 2 or fewer yards. Stats like that haven’t sat well with the Crimson Tide’s offensive line, which has entered the offseason with an apparent chip on its shoulder.
“I want us to be ruthless,” Junior tackle J.C. Latham said last month. “I want guys to every time we line up and get ready to hike the ball, I want them to be scared of us. I want them to understand that we’re going to hit them in the mouth every single play, ready to go four quarters.”
Booker shared a similar message Tuesday.
"We wanna be dominant,” he said. “We wanna be the ones on third-and-3 that are like, 'Oh, that's easy. We’re just going to run behind the right side or run behind the left side. We’re just going to run the ball.’ We want that mentality like, ‘Man, we’ve got to play Alabama this week. How are we going to stop that run.’”
Following Alabama’s second scrimmage last weekend, Nick Saban highlighted his offensive line when addressing the leadership on offense, stating the unit has done the best job of “creating the type of toughness, the type of intangible character that we’d like our team to play with.”
This spring, Alabama offensive linemen have been quick to pass that praise along to offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who has instilled new energy into the unit during his second season with the team. Booker describes Wolford as "the good kind of crazy," stating he has done a good job of motivating the unit by balancing his intense approach with a nice understanding of his players.
“Coach Wolford gets us going every day,” McLaughlin said during his radio appearance. “We’re just trying to bring it back. I think we’ve had some times where we could see elements of that in the past, but I think that’s just really trying to be our identity is just – we’re gonna push you off the ball. We’re gonna play through the whistle. We’re gonna push the pile.
“I think that’s what Coach Wolford is really just trying to instill in us, and we’re making progress toward that.”
Alabama fans looking to catch a glimpse of that progress can do so Saturday as the team will hold its A-Day game at 2 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. If the offensive line has any say in things, the scrimmage will also see the Crimson Tide "run the damn ball."
“Hopefully,” McLaughlin said. “Whatever wins us ballgames.”