Alabama Running Back Duo of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson Appear Unstoppable

It wasn't so long ago when Auburn running backs Ronnie Brown and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams showed how beneficial a good tailback tandem could be. Both backs had complimentary styles, with Brown as the bruising power back and "Cadillac", as his name suggests, the speedier and more elusive runner. After years of dominance in the SEC, both players declared themselves eligible for the NFL draft on the same year, and according to a recap on NFL.com, Brown and Williams both ended up being drafted in the top 5 in 2005 (Brown at #2 and Williams at #5). The two back's enormous success in college and the fact that they were each selected so early in the draft solidified their legacy as one of the most effective tailback tandems in the history of college football.

As demonstrated by numerous other team's successes, the two running back trend is nothing new to college football. After all, it just makes sense to split carries between two backs with complimentary styles doesn't it?

But what if you could have two players who both have the ability to not only elude tacklers, but to punish them too? Alabama head coach and recruiting extraordinaire Nick Saban has managed to do exactly that.

So far this year, young tailbacks Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson have each proven their ability to either run past or through opposing defenders, making them the leaders of one of the scariest ground attacks in the country.

Ingram, a sophomore, has already established himself as one of the nations premier runners, but true Freshman Trent Richardson is not far behind in the talent department. Last year, Rivals.com rated Richardson as a five star recruit, and one of the best running backs coming out of high school that year. At this point in the season, he has already far surpassed expectations.

Going into their fourth week, both players are averaging over six yards per carry, and each have racked up three rushing touchdowns apiece. This is significant, considering the Tide regularly use up to four different running backs depending on their situation. Ingram and Richardson are supported by the speedy Terry Grant and power running Roy Upchurch, any of whom could easily find themselves as a starter on most top 25 teams.

With the addition of impact receiver Julio Jones last season, opposing defenses are left with a laundry list of problems to address in order to try and shut down Alabama's offense. Look for Trent Richardson to get more carries as the season progresses, and expect significant production on the ground and in the air from Mark Ingram. To top it all off, Ingram has also demonstrated his knack for catching balls in the flats and taking them into the end-zone this year.

With Ingram and Richardson leading the Tide's ground offensive, and Julio Jones expected to produce on the receiving end, look for Alabama to put up some significant total yardage numbers as the season continues.

"Trent Richardson" Rivals.com
"2005 - Round 1" NFL.com