Notre Dame Notebook: Running Backs Stay Grounded With Roles
The last three weeks have not been pretty for Notre Dame’s running backs on the stat sheets, or at least when it comes to the “running" part of it. Here were their collective numbers:
Versus Michigan on Oct. 26: 18 carries, 35 yards, 1.9 yards per carry
Versus Virginia Tech on Nov. 2: 23 carries, 58 yards, 2.5 yards per carry
Versus Duke on Nov. 9: 23 carries, 110 yards, 4.8 yards per carry
Versus Navy on Nov. 16: 20 carries, 55 yards, 2.8 yards per carry
That comes out to 258 yards on 84 attempts, or 3.1 per carry — a figure that is laudable as a grade-point average in the classroom but not in a big-time college football arena.
In fact, senior quarterback Ian Book has been the leading rusher in each of those last three contests. During that stretch his 220 yards on 30 rushing attempts — 7.3 yards per carry — trumps the entire backfield’s 223 yards on 66 carries, good for 3.4 yards per carry over that span.
There are myriad reasons for such disappointing numbers since the superb 308-yard rushing performance in the 30-27 victory versus USC on Oct. 12, with senior Tony Jones Jr. romping for 176 yards.
It began with an injury to Jones at Michigan that has somewhat inhibited him since then. Junior Jafar Armstrong’s surgery on an abdominal tear during the opening series this year is hardly conducive to success, and Jahmir Smith also was sidelined early with turf toe. Sophomore C’Bo Flemister is just now growing into the position after coming in relatively light, and Avery Davis has been adjusting to multiple position shifts on offense and defense.
Losing the right side of the offensive line the past month with Tommy Kraemer (knee sprain) and Robert Hainsey (fractured ankle) hasn’t aided the cause either.
To compensate, Book has been called on for some more designed runs on zone reads, while sophomore wideout speedsters Braden Lenzy and Lawrence Keys III have been utilized to loosen the edge on jet sweeps. They picked up valued 11- and 10-yard gains yesterday versus Navy.
Where the backs have excelled that has been especially gratifying is blitz pick-up. Flemister sacrificed his body on one versus Navy that gave Book the needed time to make a key throw, and Pro Football Focus graded out Jones very well on his pass-block opportunities, not even including taking out two defenders on a 15-yard scramble by Book on third-and-16, which helped set up the game's first touchdown.
There is an “it is what it is" acceptance at running back while also respecting what they have accomplished and improved on through the year.
"I don't know that we need to really look that hard,” said head coach Brian Kelly when asked to evaluate the running back corps. “I think we know what we have there. They were so assignment correct in blitz pickup and blitz detail, and it allowed for us to hit a lot of big plays yesterday … that’s a big piece of what we need done.
“We don't have Adrian Peterson back there, but we have a bunch of guys that are giving everything that they have to contribute in all the dirty areas. These are guys that are going to go into the corners and dig and grind, and there's no glamor there. I think they know who they are and they're giving us all that they have.”
Jones will remain the lead figure, but it will continue to be by committee or “by feel” for first-year running backs coach Lance Taylor.
If Jones opts to return for a fifth year, the entire corps could be back in 2020 — and added would be verbal commit Chris Tyree, a Lenzy-like speedster who is rated the nation’ No. 2 all-purpose back.
A fact-of-the-matter aspect is no current running back on the roster was nearly as heralded as Tyree is. Kelly indicated the future should take care of itself in the backfield. The priority is making sure the work in the present will result in a better future.
“I'm not really that concerned about the future, as much as getting the most out of the group right now, and I'm really happy with what they're giving us,” Kelly said. “I know everybody's looking for that 1,000-yard back, but we are going to be more of a committee and the one thing about them is that they all do the dirty jobs.
“They're going to pick up a blitzing backer, they're going to run interference on blocking areas, they do a lot of different jobs that some backs won't. We're going to get the most out of this group, and so far it's been pretty good.”
NEWS & NOTES
• The rest of sophomore reserve linebacker Shayne Simon’s 2019 season might be in jeopardy after dislocating his patella (kneecap) against Navy. He was scheduled for an MRI later on Sunday, and an update should be provided in Monday’s conference.
"It was put back in out on the field,” said Kelly of the dislocation. “What kind of structural damage, we'll find out later.”
• Upon further tape review, freshmen defensive tackles Jacob Lacey and Howard Cross III, along with sophomore drop end Ovie Oghoufo (who has three more years go eligibility after 2019), received high marks from the staff for their efforts versus Navy.
Cross tied for second on the team in tackles with five, three of them solo. Lacey had four (three solo), while Oghoufo, whose playing time increased with the season ending ankle injury last week to Julian Okwara, was credited with three stops, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a half-sack.
“Jacob Lacey was outstanding,” Kelly said. “Howard Cross plays really physical — heavy hands. He's going to be a really good football player. I thought Ovie did a really nice job in his first assignment. Those young players really played well and were impactful in terms of what we did.”
• Most gratifying this month to Kelly has been the performance on both lines.
"Playing fast, playing physical and executing at a high level right now … pretty good tenets to playing winning football,” Kelly said. “We were fast and physical and [Navy] hadn't seen that kind of defense all year. It led to some turnovers.
"Our defense did a great job of rallying around the football, taking it away, and then capitalizing on it offensively. It certainly changed the whole scope of the game early on.”
It also speaks volumes about the quality depth assembled on the line even after losing the likes of Okwara and Daelin Hayes to injury.
“We have gotten better over the years and that has allowed us to be disruptive, much more than any schematic thing,” Kelly said.
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