Bama has RB battle brewing

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, July 15, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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Alabama Crimson Tide junior tailback Glen Coffee rushed for 545 yards last season, which might seem underwhelming. That said, 132 of those yards came in Auburn's final two games of the 2007 season, contests against Auburn and Colorado. And that’s part of the reason why he’s listed as Bama's starter entering the 2008 season.

He ended the season on a high note. Before that, however, he was suspended, allowing the Tide's other primary back -- Terry Grant -- to accumulate carries and prove what he could do.

Grant, who is listed as Coffee’s backup, is widely considered the more explosive of the two. In fact, his 891 rushing yards last season are the most ever by an Alabama freshman. Still, he wasn’t very consistent in Coffee’s absence.

As for Coffee, he was a four-star prospect coming out of Fort Walton Beach (Florida) high school back in 2005; during his senior season he rushed for 1,887 yards and 24 touchdowns, which is a big reason Rivals ranked Coffee the 29th-best back in his class.

Grant, out of Lumberton High School in Mississippi, was also a four-star prospect when he arrived at Alabama back in 2006; in his final two seasons as a high schooler, Grant rushed for over 5,300 yards and scored 66 touchdowns. That and his 4.4 speed made him a very attractive prospect who was considered the 87th-best player in his class.

Starting in nine games last season, Grant put up some pretty decent numbers. Further, as mentioned earlier, Grant looked like the more explosive of the two backs. On the other hand, Coffee is a pretty strong back who runs with a consistency that Grant has yet to show at the collegiate level. Head coach Nick Saban is known to like between-the-tackles runners who are consistent, which describes Coffee.

Then again, Grant could improve; he’s still young.

The question is: Does Saban want the consistency of Coffee or the potential of Grant?

In truth, it's not going to matter who starts at running back this season; it will, however, matter how the backs are used. Expect Coffee to get more touches on the year if he is able to stay healthy, but look for Grant to be the proverbial home run hitter.

Consider what tight end Nick Walker said about Grant before last season started.

“I feel like he's going to break a lot of records up here," Walker stated. "t's just amazing the things he can do with the ball. His quickness and his speed -- it’s just unbelievable. I see a little bit of Barry Sanders in him.”

The Alabama offense could use both consistency (Coffee) and a big-time playmaker (Grant). With a solid offensive line, Alabama should be able to take advantage of both players' skill sets.

In fact, the Tide must.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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