TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Even though University of Alabama junior running back T.J. Yeldon didn’t play last week he passed the “smile” test on Monday, which may be bad news for Auburn.
Senior quarterback Blake Sims explained: “It’s going to be great because T.J. is going to be a lot of help for us and he’s going to do a good job. He’s been doing a lot of treatment and getting better. He’s smiling a lot so when T.J.’s smiling, I think a good game is going to come out of him.”
Yeldon was one of three regulars held out of last Saturday’s game against Western Carolina due to injuries. Senior wide receiver DeAndrew White (hamstring) and sophomore kicker Adam Griffth (undisclosed) could have also played but stayed on the sideline for precautionary reasons along with junior linebacker Denzel Devall (ankle).
All are expected to be ready for Auburn (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN). Coach Nick Saban said during his press conference Monday that the only players who are questionable are senior tight end Brian Vogler and redshirt freshman wide receiver ArDarius Stewart, who both sustained strained knee ligaments against the Catamounts.
“We’ve been fighting injuries the second half of the season with him and even though he’s been able to play he hasn’t been able to practice the way he’d like to practice and the way we’d like for him to practice,” Saban said about Yeldon, who had 100-yard games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M before sustaining ankle/foot injuries against Tennessee and LSU.
“We’re hopeful that just shutting him down for seven days like we did that it’s going to get him healthier, more ready to practice and be able to be better prepared to play in this game. That was kind of the plan with the way we managed him last week and we’ll see how it works out.”
For the season Yeldon has 151 carries for 758 yards, with six touchdowns and his longest carry has been just 31 yards. He also has 14 receptions for 167 yards and another touchdown.
Last year against Auburn he had 141 rushing yards on 26 carries. The year before the prize prospect who flipped his commitment from Auburn to Alabama was limited to 38 yards on eight carries, but Eddie Lacy ran for 131 on 18 carries.
Auburn is 38th in the nation against the run, but seventh in the Southeastern Conference.
“He usually sets our blocks up,” senior offensive lineman Austin Shepherd said. “He knows what he’s doing. You’re pushing someone out, he’s going to set up like he’s going outside, then go back inside. He knows how to utilize his offensive line and always hits the hole hard.”
After topping the 3,000-yard mark for his career against Mississippi State, Yeldon is sixth on the all-time Alabama rushing list. With between two and four remaining games he needs 465 rushing yards to break Shaun Alexander’s career record of 3,565.
3,565 Shaun Alexander (727 attempts), 1996-99
3,420 Bobby Humphrey (615), 1985-88
3,324 Kenneth Darby (702), 2003-06
3,261 Mark Ingram (572), 2008-10
3,130 Trent Richardson (540), 2009-11
3,101 T.J. Yeldon (533), 2012-14
Without Yeldon the Crimson Tide still managed 275 rushing yards against the Catamounts and cleared 600 total yards for the fourth time this season (Florida, Texas A&M and FAU the others), but Yeldon remains Alabama most complete player in the backfield.
“He has been by far, in my opinion, our most effective guy all the way around when it comes to blocking, running the ball, being a pass receiver, and I think I’ve said this before, people don’t appreciate that in a running back, the things they do when they don’t have the ball,” Saban said. “Everybody sort of recognizes what they do when they do have it. And that’s the part of it that has made him most effective.”
Christopher Walsh has covered Alabama football since 2004 and is the author of 19 books. In his free time, he writes about college football.
