Crimson Tide photos / Alabama junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a career-high 21 carries last Saturday night against Texas A&M that produced 154 yards in the Crimson Tide’s 24-20 victory.Regardless of whether Bryce Young or Jalen Milroe plays at quarterback for Alabama this Saturday inside Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee Volunteers are still going to have to deal with Jahmyr Gibbs.
And the former Dalton High School running back has never looked better.
“He’s explosive, so you know they are going to try to find ways to get the ball in his hands,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “In the run game, you are best to not let him get started. If he does, he has the ability to take it the distance. He has good vision and pace behind the line of scrimmage. When he sees a hole, he is able to hit it. He does a really good job of making people miss, too.
“We have to bottle him up in the run game, and then when they use him in the pass game, you’ve got to do a great job at taking him away and matching him out.”
In his first season with the Crimson Tide after spending the past two years at Georgia Tech, Gibbs has rushed 64 times for 532 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior is averaging 8.3 yards per carry, a stat that leads every running back in a Power Five conference program.