Notre Dame 2016 Football Themes: Running Game
There are certain bedrocks that help define football excellence, no matter what the era.
As much as football has changed over the decades, “run the ball and stop the run” is never out of style in a sport where controlling the line of scrimmage is paramount.
That’s why a 200-yard rushing average at Notre Dame has become so important throughout the decades. Achieving such a figure isn’t a guarantee of gridiron prosperity, but being significantly below it by 40 or more yards virtually assures disappointment.
Take a look at the last two decades of Notre Dame football:
• Under Bob Davie (1997-2001), his best seasons were the only two in which the Irish finished with more than 200 yards rushing: 212.5 in 1998 when Notre Dame began 9-1 before quarterback Jarious Jackson was injured, and 213.5 during the 9-2 BCS season in 2000, prior to the bowl game fiasco versus Oregon State.
• With Tyrone Willingham (2002-04), the rushing average dipped to 146.3 yards per game, part of what helped oust him after just three seasons.
This included a pedestrian 157.2 average during a 5-7 campaign in 2003 when the backfield included future NFL stars Julius Jones and Ryan Grant, plus a premier option quarterback in Carlyle Holiday, who as a sophomore two years earlier rushed for 666 yards (maybe a devilish omen of what was to come).
• Then under Charlie Weis (2005-09), the run plummeted even more with a measly five-year rushing average of 117.2.
His best season was his first with a 147.1 figure during a 9-3 finish. It was the only time in history Notre Dame finished in the Associated Press top 10 (No. 9) while averaging less than 190 yards rushing during the regular season. It was in the decade under Willingham and Weis that Notre Dame became labeled as more "finesse" than physical.
Now, the Brian Kelly era (2010-present) has seen a mixed bag with the run. In Kelly's six 12-game regular seasons with the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame averaged 120.8, 165.8, 202.4, 149.0, 150.8 and 214.8 rushing yards.
In the two regular seasons where the Irish averaged 200 or more yards, the record was 22-2 — with the two defeats coming to the Nos. 2-3 teams in 2015 by two points apiece. In the other four regular seasons, Notre Dame was a mediocre 30-18 (.625)
Reaching the 200-yard rushing mark was achieved last year — when including bowl games — with a 207.6 figure. That was a first at Notre Dame since 1998.
We say “including bowl games” because when Notre Dame made it to the BCS Championship in 2012, it averaged 202 yards per game on the ground during its 12-0 regular season, but finished at 189.4 after totaling only 32 yards rushing in the 42-14 debacle versus Alabama.
The same in 2000 under Davie. The record book shows that during the 9-2 Fiesta Bowl regular season campaign, the Fighting Irish averaged 213.5 yards per game (14th nationally) rushing. That’s because back then bowl games were not included in the final stats. After getting crushed 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl by Oregon State while rushing for 17 yards, Notre Dame again finished with 197.2 in what was still a pretty decent season.
With three new starters along the offensive line and the graduation of 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Prosise, there might be skepticism on whether a 200-yard encore can be accomplished in 2016. However, the ground attack features at least a three-pronged attack that could rate among the best at Notre Dame in well over a decade.
Senior Tarean Folston, sidelined last year with an ACL tear, was the top rusher in 2014 with 889 yards and has 1,378 in his career; sophomore Josh Adams rushed for a freshman school record 835 yards last year; and the quarterback combination of DeShone Kizer/Malik Zaire in about a full season’s worth of work has 810 yards on the ground. Kizer’s 520 last season was the fourth most in one season by an Irish QB.
Is a 200-yard rushing average the elixir or silver bullet to football prominence? By itself, no. It takes more: Defense, special teams, passing balance, coaching, recruiting to a system … But it's not a coincidence that Notre Dame football (or any football power) is usually at its best with rushing excellence.
Over the past 11 years from 2005-15, every national champion but one rushed for more than 200 yards per contest during its march to No. 1 — if you grant us that 2015 champion Alabama’s 199.9 average is basically 200 yards, especially with Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry amassing 2,219 yards and 28 TDs on the ground. The teams that finished in the Associated Press Top 5 last year also were over 200 yards rushing:
No. 2 Clemson — 223.0
No. 3 Stanford — 223.7
No. 4 Ohio State — 245.2
No. 5 Oklahoma — 222.1
It is also significant that the 200-yard rushing average not be merely padded with 300-yard efforts against far lesser teams, and then 50 to 100 yards against the marquee opponents on the schedule. The 2012 Irish team that made it to the title game rushed for more than 200 yards in hard fought road wins at Oklahoma and USC, and 270 against a top-5 BYU rushing defense during a 17-14 slugfest.
Last year, Alabama was far better with the pass than run in its Playoff wins over Michigan State (38-0) and Clemson (45-40), in great part because the play-action with Henry was so effective.
But during the regular season, it was a powerful ground game led by Henry that got the Crimson Tide back on track. This included a 30-16 victory versus N0. 2 LSU in which not only did Alabama rush for 250 yards (210 by Henry on 38 carries), but held LSU to 54 yards on the ground, notably 31 yards on 19 carries by previous Heisman front-runner Leonard Fournette. Run the ball, and stop the run.
In the SEC title game against a formidable Florida defense, Henry carried 44 times while the Crimson Tide rushed for 233 yards in a 29-15 win.
Passing with greater frequency is what constitutes “modern football,” but controlling the line of scrimmage with the run is never outdated. For Kelly and the Notre Dame football team, the 31-28 Music City Bowl win versus LSU and its stout defense to end the roller-coaster 8-5 season in 2014 was a form of an epiphany for what it wants to achieve with its identity on offense.
Against an upper-tier defense, Notre Dame rushed for 263 yards and 5.2 yards per carry. It was able to keep the ball on the ground nearly twice more (51 plays) than pass (26 times) because it controlled the line of scrimmage. LSU had to defend both the read option and the pass, helping spread it too thin.
"It's the way Notre Dame should play football every Saturday: Line up, physicality, leaning on the big boys up front to create space for the running backs and getting the ball in space to some skilled receivers,” summarized Fighting Irish associate head coach Mike Denbrock, whose role includes tying together the game plan on offense.
“When I think of Notre Dame football, that's what I think of and that's really what we're trying to get to.”
Positive steps continued in 2015. Maintaining and then expanding upon them will be needed in 2016.
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