Notre Dame Backfield Gets Needed Boost From C'Bo Flemister
Entering last weekend’s Virginia game, sophomore running back C’Bo Flemister’s stats were… let’s just say unflattering: 10 carries, three yards for a 0.3 average.
In other words, that would require 34 straight carries by him to pick up one first down, and only for downs are permitted to do so.
Yet in a backfield that was seeking help behind senior Tony Jones Jr. after junior Jafar Armstrong (torn abdomen) and sophomore Jahmir Smith (turf toe) incurred early season injuries, it was the 5-11, 200-pound Flemister who provide significant contributions in the 35-20 victory versus the Cavaliers.
The highlight-reel moment of his six carries for 27 yards performance was his 11-yard touchdown run in which he shook off two would-be tacklers to give Notre Dame a 14-7 first quarter lead.
“Great balance,” said head coach Brian Kelly, who added that Flemister’s confidence level has remained steadfast. “He's going to be a guy in a year or two that's going to have that thick lower extremity, and he's going to break through even more tackles.”
Equally if not more important is Flemister has been earning trust in other phases of the game as well.
“He’s shown himself now in a pass protection situation to go in there and stick his nose in there,” Kelly said. “He's definitely capable now of being on the field in third down situations.”
The 16 snaps he took against Virginia might not sound like much, but they were valuable to keep Jones rested — and it paid off with Jones rushing for 97 yards on just seven carries and a score in the fourth quarter while finishing with a career high 131 yards on the ground.
It also was in stark contrast to the 23-17 loss at No. 3 Georgia, the home state school for the Peach State native Flemister. In the 64 snaps versus the Bulldogs, Jones took 58 (90.7 percent) while junior Avery Davis, who played cornerback in the spring, took six. Neither Flemister nor freshman Kyren Williams saw action on offense that night.
“He's got right now enough traits for us to count on him to give some carries and help us win,” said Kelly of Flemister. “He's certainly not a finished product. He's one that has built trust amongst the coaching staff.”
Relatively unheralded as a consensus three-star recruit, Flemister had originally pledged to Georgia Southern and then Georgia Tech before flipping to Notre Dame on the Feb. 7, 2018 signing day.
Part of his obscurity was he is from Zebulon, Ga., whose population is just under 1,200. Still, he led the talent-rich state in rushing as a senior with 2,348 yards and 35 touchdowns at Pike County High School.
“Coming from where I’m from, you don’t expect somebody to get an opportunity like this to go play football at such a high level and get such a good education,” Flemister told Blue & Gold Illustrated shortly after signing. “I’m paving the way for a lot of kids in my community.
“It’s extremely exciting, but I feel responsible too. I don’t want to tarnish the name of my town. I want to make everybody proud and make a good reputation for myself and my town.”
The competition should be ratcheted up in the coming weeks. Smith returned to the lineup for five snaps against Virginia, while the staff remains hopeful that Armstrong could be cleared by the Oct. 12 USC game. And next year, No. 1-ranked all-purpose back Chris Tyree enters the backfield stable.
Yet as Flemister has shown with his persistence and progress, he will give everyone his own determined run to playing time.
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