In the Atlanta Falcons’ first two games of the 2024 NFL season, running back Jase McClellan has been designated as a game-day inactive.
The Falcons play again on Sunday night, and the game against the Kansas City Chiefs provides the next opportunity for McClellan to make his NFL debut and extend a Crimson Tide streak.
When McClellan gets his chance in the Falcons backfield, it will mean the most recent conference or postseason game for Alabama started by an NFL-eligible running back who did not go on to carry the football in an NFL regular-season game occurred on Nov. 17, 2007. That day, Terry Grant served as the Tide’s starting running back in a 17-12 loss to Mississippi State.
Since then, the Alabama games started by running backs who have not had a rushing attempt in the NFL are two non-conference contests and 17 starts by McClellan, two by current Florida State running back Roydell Williams and three this season by Justice Haynes.
The week after the 2007 Mississippi State game, Grant started again against Louisiana-Monroe. On Sept. 12, 2009, Roy Upchurch started at running back against Florida International.
Since Grant’s start in Louisiana-Monroe’s 21-14 upset of Alabama in 2007, the Tide’s other starting running backs have included Damien Harris for 40 games, Najee Harris for 25, T.J. Yeldon for 21, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson for 19 apiece, Derrick Henry for 17, Glen Coffee for 15, Eddie Lacy and Brian Robinson Jr. for 14 each, Jahmyr Gibbs for 11, Kenyan Drake for six, Josh Jacobs for three, Bo Scarbrough for two and Jerome Ford and Jalston Fowler for one apiece.
All those players have recorded rushing attempts in the NFL:
· Henry has 9,632 yards and 92 touchdowns on 2,061 carries entering the Baltimore Ravens’ game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
· Ingram had 8,111 yards and 65 touchdowns on 1,817 carries.
· Jacobs has 5,780 yards and 46 touchdowns on 1,353 carries entering the Green Bay Packers’ game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
· Drake had 3,866 yards and 33 touchdowns on 869 carries.
· Lacy had 3,614 yards and 23 touchdowns on 857 carries.
· Najee Harris has 3,480 yards and 22 touchdowns on 871 carries entering the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
· Damien Harris had 2,188 yards and 21 touchdowns on 472 carries.
· Richardson had 2,032 yards and 17 touchdowns on 614 carries.
· Yeldon had 2,005 yards and six touchdowns on 492 carries.
· Robinson has 1,703 yards and eight touchdowns on 412 carries entering the Washington Commanders’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
· Ford, who transferred to Cincinnati after two seasons at Alabama, has 933 yards and five touchdowns on 231 carries entering the Cleveland Browns’ game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
· Scarbrough had 408 yards and one touchdown on 95 carries.
· Coffee had 226 yards and one touchdown on 83 carries.
· Fowler, who was a fullback in the NFL, had 20 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
McClellan joined Atlanta from Alabama in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 27. During his four seasons with the Crimson Tide, McClellan ran for 1,981 yards and 18 touchdowns on 355 carries.
The Falcons have used 2023 first-round draft pick Bijan Robinson as their starting running back, with former 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Allgeier as his backup. They are the only running backs who have carried the football this season for Atlanta.
The Chiefs and Falcons will square off at 7:20 p.m. CDT Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. NBC will televise the game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
