Jahmyr Gibbs' rushing performance silences Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Sometimes silence can be louder than a roar.
With Alabama up 13 points, the Arkansas faithful hoped its jeers toward the sputtering Crimson Tide offense could help energize the Razorback defense to continue the comeback.
The screaming continued until Gibbs touched the ball. After taking the ball on a stretch to the right, Gibbs used his patience, letting the blocks set up in front of him, before bursting through the middle of the Arkansas defense. Raucous cheers turned into a collective groan at Reynolds Razorback Stadium as Gibbs dashed past Drew Sanders en route to a 72-yard score.
The junior, who is known for his quiet nature, captivated the attention of more than 77,000 people and let them know the magnitude of the moment.
He folded his hands together and put them next to his cheek.
At that moment Gibbs knew exactly what he did, his run put the game to bed.
"It feels good," Gibbs said. "But I'm really proud of our team. We talk about adversity a lot and we overcame it. We went into halftime up a lot, but they came back. We talk about winning in the fourth quarter every day and that's what we did."
The score rejuvenated a dormant Alabama offense that went from minus-1 yards of total offense in the third quarter to more than 240 in the fourth.
Gibbs alone accounted for more than 60 percent of the offensive production in the final quarter as on Alabama's next drive, he broke off another monumental run, this time going 76 yards for his second score of the day.
Just like on his prior run, Gibbs deployed his patience, letting the blocks form on the left side of the offensive line and then hitting the hole.
"He does a great job of pressing the hole," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "He gets the defense to commit, gets the linebacker to commit, makes a quick cut and hits the hole. He's really good at that."
Gibbs' performance set a new career high and he becomes the first Crimson Tide running back to rush for more than 200 yards since Brian Robinson accomplished the feat against Cincinnati in the 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal.
While Gibbs stated the outside zone run against a five-man front was a "guaranteed" touchdown, Will Anderson made sure to credit Alabama's dynamic runner. The linebacker calling him "the best running back" at the UA All-American game and Saturday's performance only strengthened his remarks.
"I'm like, 'Man he's so quick,'" Will Anderson said. "His burst is excellent and going against him in practice every day, he comes to work in silence — he doesn't talk much, he just gets to work. ... He gives us a great game every game. He executed the gameplan they had for the offense and he took advantage of it."