Days after Jam Miller suffered a collarbone injury, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer described the Crimson Tide running back room as a “logjam,” one where no option has really differentiated himself. 

In Alabama’s 31-17 season-opening loss to Florida State, that “logjam” was personified. Alabama played four running backs, three of which appeared in the first offensive drive. No running back had more than 31 rushing yards. No running back had more than nine carries. No running back played more than 30 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. 

In his Louisiana Monroe game week press conference, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the Crimson Tide really didn’t have the opportunity to “put the hammer down on the run game.”

“The biggest part for us was honestly just staying on the field, the third downs,” Grubb said. “Being able to stay out there and sustain the (running) game and have that nice first drive like we had with some good first down runs. So, we’ve got to have some more efficiency on first and second down to keep the run game alive.”

Kevin Riley led all backs with 31 rushing yards on five carries, a back Grubb was complimentary of saying he “showed up” and had “good burst.”

Daniel Hill played a team-high 30 snaps, mostly on passing downs. He finished with three rushes for 9 yards. 

Richard Young, who started the game for Alabanma, had 26 rushing yards on nine carries. His longest rush was for 6 yards. 

Dre Washington played four total snaps. He had 1 rushing yards on two carries. 

In terms of total carries, Grubb said he wants the number to range between 25 or 30 per game. And while the fourth quarter dictated what Alabama’s offense looked like against FSU, the same mantra remains for the Crimson Tide.

“We’ve got to be able to run the ball in any situation,” Grubb said. “Down two scores or not.”

But the question seemingly remains of who will get the bulk of those reps until Miller returns.

Alabama continues the 2025 season Saturday, Sept. 6 at home against Louisiana Monroe. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network 

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Alabama football RB ‘logjam’ looked like vs. Florida State