Call them the Alabama football Big Uglies or the Hog Mollies or whatever moniker you choose. For Alabama football to run more often, the key is the front five knocking opponents off the ball.
At its core, football is a territorial game. Not unlike military infantry, warriors fight to occupy terrain by seizing it from their foe. Win the battle of the trenches in football and a team is more likely to win.
Spread football and fastball offenses have altered the territorial dimensions in football. Today’s game is much more east and west than north and south.