This fast-paced, pass-happy time of college football we live in makes the accomplishments of Alabama RB Derrick Henry all the more impressive this season.

When the top quarterbacks in the country are throwing for 4,000-plus yards and offenses are racing up and down the field at a blistering pace, Henry consistently leads the Crimson Tide to victory after victory in record-breaking fashion with an unrelenting will.

But can Alabama coach Nick Saban continue to feed the rock to Henry all the way to a national championship? If Saturday’s performance is any indication the answer is a resounding yes.

The bruising back’s 46 carries for 271 yards in the Tide’s 29-13 triumph Saturday over Auburn are single-game school records. It’s also the most yards by an Alabama running back since 1996 when Shaun Alexander ripped off 291 yards against LSU. Saturday’s game was the fourth in which the junior eclipsed 200 yards, placing him alongside legendary RBs Herschel Walker (Georgia) and Bo Jackson (Auburn) as the only SEC players to accomplish the feat.

“We’d really like for someone else to run the ball, but it got tough to take him out and he seems to get stronger as the game goes on,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said following the Auburn game. “It’s hard to take him out at the end of the game. He’s the go-to guy and he didn’t want to come out. He wanted to go and said that he could, and certainly finished the game like we needed to.

“My hat is off to him as a competitor, and he really inspires everybody on our team in the way he competes, plays and the toughness that he runs with. What a spirit.”

Adding in his totals from Saturday, Henry surpassed Trent Richardson as Alabama’s all-time single-season rushing leader with 1,797 yards. He leads the nation in touchdowns (22) and points scored (132).

His streak of 17 consecutive games scoring a touchdown is the longest in Alabama’s storied history and currently the longest in the nation as well. It’s the longest in the SEC in the last 20 years, surpassing the 14-game streak of Florida’s winner Tim Tebow.

Henry’s 36 career touchdowns are just six shy of Alabama’s all-time record set by Mark Ingram (2008-10). He is averaging 149.8 yards per game this season, which would be a single-season school record. Bobby Humphrey currently holds that mark at 133.7 set in 1986.

That’s how special Alabama’s durable running back is. His 295 rushes this season lead the SEC, are second in the nation, and are second-most in a season by a Tide back.

“He keeps pounding and doesn’t stop,” said Alabama QB Jake Coker, who said he has no problem feeding the Tide’s most productive player on offense. “When I screw up, he picks me up. It’s awesome having him back there.”

So Alabama will keep calling his number and Henry will continue to pound opposing defenses until one of them proves it can stop him. He will be supremely tested on Saturday when Alabama faces Florida in the SEC Championship Game.

The Gators defense has yielded an average of 112 rushing yards per game over the course of this season, with an average of 3.3 yards per carry. LSU’s Leonard Fournette has had the most success against that Gators defense, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.

So while the Florida defense has been very good throughout the season, it can be penetrated by the top talent in the league. Henry will certainly have his opportunities when the two teams meet Saturday in Atlanta.