Bama Central

Jahmyr Gibbs Named Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week

Junior’s two fourth-quarter touchdown bursts allow Crimson Tide to pull away from upset-minded Arkansas.

Christopher Walsh

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Alabama junior Jahmyr Gibbs was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week on Tuesday.

On Monday he was named the Southeastern Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

Gibbs posted a career-high 206 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Crimson Tide won 49-26 at Arkansas in front of the all-time largest crowd at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Both of Gibbs’ scores came in the fourth quarter on 72- and 76-yard bursts to allow Alabama pull away from a 28-23 lead. 

The 206 yards were the most rushing yards for an Alabama back since Brian Robinson had 204 against Cincinnati in last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal.

The 5-11, 200-pounder from Dalton, Ga., added two receptions for 20 yards to finish with 226 all-purpose yards to offset the loss of quarterback Bryce Young, who missed much of the game with an injury. 

The Crimson Tide finished with 317 yards rushing and 555 total yards in improving to 5-0 with its 15th straight win vs. Arkansas.

Other candidates for the honor in Week 5 included:

• Marquez Cooper, Kent State: Cooper carried 40 times for 240 yards and two touchdowns as Kent State topped Ohio 31-24 in overtime, the Flashes’ 11th straight home win. Cooper became the fifth back in school history to have 40 or more carries in a game and his 240 rushing yards are the sixth-most all-time at Kent State, led all rushing totals for the weekend, and are the most for a Kent State back since 2012.

• Hassan Hall, Georgia Tech: Hall rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries as Georgia Tech beat a nationally- ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 2016 in a 26-21 win at No. 24 Pitt. Hall’s 157 yards were the second-highest total of his career and helped secure a win in Brent Key’s debut as the Yellow Jackets’ interim head coach.

• Harrison Waylee, NIU: Waylee ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns, the highest total for NIU in almost 10 seasons, but the Huskies fell in overtime at Ball State, 44-38. His career-high 230-yard mark on 30 carries included touchdowns runs 52 and 68 yards.

Alabama returns home to host Texas A&M on Saturday for a 7 p.m. CT game ton CBS. 

See Also:

For Jahmyr Gibbs, the Running Game is Both Mental and Physical 

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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