Alabama lines up in a shotgun formation, with O.J. Howard lined up at tight end on the left side. Blake Sims is in the backfield with Henry. Henry starts on the weak side of the formation and will work back to the strong side. Amari Cooper is lined up at the numbers, while DeAndrew White is lined up at the hashmarks. Christion Jones is on the line of scrimmage, close to the offensive line. Texas A&M shows its standard 4-3 defense and brings five pass rushers.
Most of Alabama’s offensive line initiates blocks before releasing, running into the Texas A&M secondary to block downfield. Henry does the same, while Blake Sims’ speed and footwork carry him into the backfield, away from the on-rushing Texas A&M defenders long enough to pass off to Henry.
Right guard Leon Brown and center Bradley Bozeman establish blocks in the secondary, clearing the way for Henry’s run. The receivers who initially appeared to be in a pass formation actually function as downfield blockers after the pass is thrown. Before the play, they served to draw defensive backs off of the line of scrimmage, creating space for Henry to work in. After Henry gets the ball, Cooper, White and Jones all hold blocks, with Jones creating a vital hole for Henry to run through.
As Henry makes his way into the secondary, he still has to evade three Texas A&M defensive backs close enough to stop him on the way to the end zone. Howard sprints into the backfield after the ball is snapped, becoming Henry’s lead blocker. At the most important moment, Howard clears out one of Texas A&M’s top defensive backs, Deshazor Everett. Now, it’s Henry against one defensive back.
Henry’s speed carries him out of the reach of defensive back Howard Matthews, and the running back strolls into the end zone untouched, putting Alabama up 45-0.
Kiffin’s play design presents several possibilities to the Texas A&M defense, and by the time the Aggies know what’s happening, it’s too late. Once Sims evades the sack to execute the screen pass, the downfield blocking is accounted for, and one of the best running backs in the SEC goes to work.
