Why Kalen DeBoer credited Ryan Grubb for Alabama’s rushing attack against Georgia

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) runs against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer gave Ryan Grubb credit for sticking with the run game against Georgia, despite the Crimson Tide not having major success against the Bulldogs on the ground.

Alabama ran the ball for a season-high 38 times in its 24-21 win over Georgia. The Tide finished the game with 117 yards while averaging 3.1 yards per carry. DeBoer feels Alabama’s commitment to the run game was a product of Grubb’s play calling.

“I think I saw 38 attempts or something like that as far as rushing attempts,” DeBoer said. “That’s a credit to Ryan Grubb, just continuing to stay within, not getting greedy, not just feeling it has turn into an all out passing game. So, just proud of the continued fight that he had and what he brings out of the offensive line.”

Averaging 3.1 yards per carry is not ideal, and Alabama would have loved to have had a better average. DeBoer feels they missed out on some opportunities on Saturday night.

“We’ve got to continue to get better in the run game,” DeBoer said. “There’s times when we had looks that we just should really take advantage of, and there’s an execution piece to it. There’s a toss play, and it’s not always the offensive line. There’s a toss play to the right that I just felt like numbers wise, I think Germ (Germie) had the ball in his hands, and we just got to get everyone on the same page doing your job. But, there are some times inside, too, where, there are two high safeties, and we should be able to get more than what we had, not just three or four. We should be able to get seven or eight, and especially as the game goes along. Now, in the last drive, that happened a little bit more, and so that’s why you just stick with it.”

Alabama football will get another shot at displaying better efficiency on the ground against Vanderbilt on Saturday.