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.
Gibbs is coming off his busiest performance, having received a career-high 21 carries that yielded 154 yards during last Saturday night’s 24-20 escape of Texas A&M.
“I feel good,” Gibbs said this week. “I definitely feel I can take on that workload every game.”
Before the close call against the Aggies, which caused the Crimson Tide to slip a spot to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll, Gibbs posted a career-best 206 rushing yards on 18 carries in a 49-26 win at Arkansas. So his past two games that have coincided with Young’s first-half shoulder injury in Fayetteville and Milroe assuming the reins have resulted in 39 carries for 360 yards and 9.2 yards per rush.
Gibbs not only leads Alabama in rushing but has a team-high 22 receptions for 220 yards and three scores.
“I really don’t know him personally, but I’ve watched a lot of his play, especially when he was at Georgia Tech,” Vols senior linebacker Aaron Beasley said. “I like Jahmyr’s game. He’s an excellent player and one of the better players that they have.
“He’ll be a great challenge for us this week.”
Alabama has defeated Tennessee 15 consecutive times and has scored at least 35 points in the past six series meetings. The Tide have averaged 44.3 points per contest this season to rank fifth nationally — the up-tempo Vols are second at 46.8 — but this resounding emergence of Gibbs is being countered by the rapid growth of Tennessee’s run defense.
The Vols rank 11th nationally against the run, allowing 89.2 yards per game, and limited LSU running backs to 12 carries for 17 yards during last Saturday’s 40-13 cakewalk in Baton Rouge.
“They have a very good defense, and they move around fast,” Gibbs said. “They will fly to the ball. It will be a good challenge for us this week.”
Young update
Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday evening after practice that Young continues to practice a little more each day.
“We’ve got him on a little bit of a pitch count just to kind of wean him back into it and see how it goes,” Saban said. “We expect him to do a little more tomorrow, so that’s all I really have to say about that.”
Heupel was asked earlier Wednesday about the unknown factor Alabama has this week at quarterback.
“I think you have to prepare for both of them and you have to have a plan,” Heupel said. “Even if you know who the starter is, you know there are some things that are going to be different if the other guy goes into the game.”
Odds and ends
Saban said fifth-year senior linebacker Jaylen Moody (bruised kidney) has practiced all week without any complications. … Heupel did not have any updates when asked about the status of fifth-year senior receiver Cedric Tillman (ankle) and senior safety Jaylen McCollough (arrested Sunday on a felony aggravated assault charge). … Saban on Saturday: “This is probably the biggest challenge we’ve had all year.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.