Austin's running back philosophy fuels team success

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Jul. 11—The sport of football has changed a lot over the years.

It used to be that the running back was among the most important, if not the most important position on the team with running backs in the NFL being among the highest paid players. These days however, the passing game has become more of a focus and now running backs in the NFL are among the lowest paid players.

In high school football, though, a premier running back is still a must-have, and that's especially true for the Austin Black Bears.

When head coach Jeremy Perkins took over at Austin in 2010, he inherited a program that had suffered 13 losing seasons since its last playoff win in 1993. Twelve winning seasons and 113 wins later and the Black Bears have become one of the most respected programs in north Alabama.

So what's been the secret to success? A lot of factors have contributed but it certainly hasn't hurt that Austin has had an elite string of running backs in that stretch. Seth Lynch, Josh Walker, T.C. Lowe, Asa Martin, Antonio Robinson, Jevon Jackson, Gavin Fuqua, Kenneth Joshua — the list of talented guys who have toted the rock seems almost endless.

Last year Austin was unsure who that guy would be but it didn't take long to find an answer. Aidan Davis, a junior who was playing football for the first time since eighth grade, quickly emerged as that guy, rushing for 1,162 yards and 11 touchdowns. Now as he enters his senior season with a year of experience under his belt, he's expected to take his game to another level.

"Aidan is a hoss. He's a downhill runner with great hands out of the backfield," Perkins said. "The big thing for him is he's still growing, still learning how to be a true running back and not just an athlete with the ball in his hands. He's making great strides with that and we expect great things out of him this year."

While Perkins gave glowing reviews of Davis, he was also quick to point out that it won't be a one-man show at running back.

"He still has to compete to be the guy, though, because we have a lot of talented guys around him," Perkins said. "Christian Gibbs played a lot last year as well as a sophomore and he's giving Aidan a run for his money. Landon Baker has been a Swiss Army Knife in our offense and he will have some opportunities to be back there, and then a young guy in Brandon Allen has really had a good summer and will probably get some carries as well.

"Our positions are competitive-based. We want guys that are going to compete and do the right things to earn their position."

While those four guys may be fighting for carries this season, they won't be fighting for playing time. When one player is not lined up at running back, you'll likely see him somewhere else in the offense. That's because Perkins asks his running backs to not only be able to line up in the backfield, but at receiver, fullback and tight end as well.

"When you look at skill-wise, a lot of times your running backs are some of your better overall players. They're athletic and can do multiple things," Perkins said. "We ask our running backs to do multiple things because when you have three or four guys that have the ability to do great things but only one running back spot, then you have to find different roles for them in order to get them on the field."

This philosophy is one that Perkins has used throughout his time in Austin to great success, including in 2017 when Asa Martin and Antonio Robinson combined for over 4,000 yards and 63 touchdowns. That season the combination of Martin and Robinson lined up at every skill position on offense, including quarterback, and it led to Austin finishing 12-1 and a two-point conversion away from potentially playing for a state championship.

"Both those guys were highly coveted Division-I signees, so how do you use both of them?" Perkins said. "You don't want one talented guy standing on the sideline while another is on the field."

Can Austin use this philosophy to find similar success this season? Last year due to youth and inexperience, as well as injuries, the Black Bears weren't able to move their backs around as much as they wanted to. This year, however, they believe the offense will be firing on all cylinders.

"We're always trying to find ways to utilize guys in different areas. You'll see two, maybe three running backs on the field at the same time this season," Perkins said. "We want to get our best players on the field and give those guys the opportunity to make an impact because that usually leads to success for our team."

— caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2

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