Nick Saban on corralling Texas A&M running back Devon Achane: 'It's hard'

Texas A&M might be coming off a loss at Mississippi State, but that won’t stop Alabama coach Nick Saban from taking Saturday’s matchup in Tuscaloosa, Ala., extremely seriously. Especially not with an explosive threat like Aggies running back Devon Achane suiting up on the opposite sideline.

Achane has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Aggies at times, powering a struggling offense almost single-handedly.

“If this guy gets in space, he’s got a burst and so you’ve got to do a great job playing team defense against guys like that and try to minimize the opportunities where he gets mismatched on somebody,” Saban said on Wednesday. “I think that’s the biggest issue.”

Achane has already rushed for 466 yards and three touchdowns this season on 81 carries, toting the rock at a clip of 5.8 yards per carry.

He’s also a multi-dimensional offensive weapon, capable of doing damage in the passing game as well as out of the backfield as a runner. In fact, the Aggies have really started to ramp up their usage of Achane as a pass-catcher.

Achane, after catching just one pass in each of the first two games, has tallied 13 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the last three outings.

“It’s hard, you know? First of all running back is a mismatch position in the passing game and they do a great job of running him on difficult routes to cover, especially if you’re trying to play man-to-man,” Saban said. “He’s very elusive. he’s got great speed.”

Running back Devon Achane a big-play threat

Achane’s contributions aren’t just limited to offense, either, as Saban pointed out.

“He’s a great returner on kickoff return,” the long-time Alabama coach said.

The 5-foot-9 junior running back has busted two kick return touchdowns in his career. So far this season he has taken eight kickoffs out for 274 return yards, an average of more than 34 yards per return.

You can bet Saban will have his players watching for him at all times on Saturday.

“The guy’s really, really a good player,” Saban said. “And good receiver, good runner. He’s a good all-around player.”

Alabama and Texas A&M will meet in a once-annual CBS night game, kicking off at 8 ET Saturday on network television.