The running back wheel route.

We're using a 2 back set a lot more too. Kiffin got away from it in favor of more receivers. I'm glad to see it return because of the options it gives you in terms of a max protect or slipping one out into the pattern while still keeping one in to block.

As many people have said, we're putting a pile of new stuff on tape for people to worry about.

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I'm glad to see it return because of the options it gives you in terms of a max protect or slipping one out into the pattern while still keeping one in to block.

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Throw in a delayed wheel route with a TE immediately running a route and damn that will give LBs fits.

Piece of jewelry caught Alabama RB's eye on coach visit | al.com

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Of all the backs in Alabama's stable, Josh Jacobs might be the most mysterious. Not only is he a rare non-five star, the sophomore from Tulsa was barely recruited before landing at the defending national champions in 2016.

Surrounded by All-American talent, the 5-foot-10 running back continues to carve a niche in Alabama's offense. Even a preseason hamstring injury didn't keep Jacobs from fighting back into the rotation and delivering a big performance in the 66-3 win over Ole Miss.

Two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown with another 51 rushing yards on two carries.

The receiving part of it isn't new, Jacobs said, since he did a lot of that in high school. Proving doubters wrong is another source of pride.

"I came from a not-too-good of a football program in high school," Jacobs said. "My senior year, that's the furthest we've been in like a decade or whatever. So it was kind of proving a point to everyone, including myself. That was the biggest thing. Proving a point to myself."

Jacobs still remembers the day everything changed in his football trajectory.

Alabama didn't come around until the final weeks before National Signing Day. Running backs coach Burton Burns arrived at his high school to watch practice.

"The first thing I noticed was the ring," Jacobs said of Burns' championship jewelry.

They went on to talk for an hour that day and he knew Alabama was the place for him.

Still, there was the matter of getting playing time with the likes of Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough already established. As a freshman, Jacobs ran 85 times for 567 yards with four touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 156 yards.

From barely recruited to that impact in Year 1, the significance wasn't lost on Jacobs.

"I was kinda surprised," he said. "Basically, just coming in, basically an unknown and playing at the best university. It was kinda crazy. I kinda didn't look at it like that. I kinda was at a point where I'm just trying to prove a point, not only to myself, but to everyone."

The preseason injury threatened that momentum.

Jacobs said he hurt his hamstring on the final play of an early-August practice.

"I was running and basically I had caught the ball and I was running down the sideline and I tried to plant and then it just snaps," he said.

It had him sidelined for more than a month. That included the first two games of the season before getting a few snaps against Colorado State and four carries at Vanderbilt.

The first big play of his 2017 was the receiving touchdown in the second quarter. His job was to look like a blocker, get lost in the offensive line and break free up the middle. It worked. Nobody followed him out of the backfield for a relatively easy 18-yard pitch and catch.

"You just got to make sure you sell it," he said.

Jacobs role from here will be worth noting. None of the Alabama running backs have more than 50 carries in five games, so they're fresh. Jacobs has the least wear and tear, getting just seven attempts and 85 yards so far.

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