With junior running back Jafar Armstrong sidelined at least the next month because of a groin/abdominal injury incurred during the opening series in Monday night’s 35-17 victory at Louisville, Tony Jones Jr. is next in line to thrive in the seniority system at running back under 10th-year head coach Brian Kelly.
Taking on the lead role in place of Armstrong, with whom he was basically a co-starter, Jones finished with 110 yards on 15 carriers and an 11-yard touchdown in which he patiently read his blocks on a sweep and cut back to knot the score at 14.
Five of his 15 carries totaled at least 10 yards, highlighted by a 35-yard burst on third-and-13 that set up his own touchdown.
“I think I can do that in all my games,” said a self-assured Jones afterwards. “Coach [Kelly] told us early that we were going to run, run, run the ball, so I wanted to make it evident that we were going to run the ball down their throat.”
Later with the Irish clinging to a 21-14 lead, Jones picked up a crucial block on defensive end Amonte Caban that provided quarterback Ian Book the extra second needed to find sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble on a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Even last year, the 5-11, 224-pound Jones was considered Notre Dame’s best all-around back — runner, receiver, blocker — but nagging injuries or a crisis in confidence often held him back from fulfilling his potential. Since the spring, though, Kelly has proclaimed that Jones is primed to actualize his skill set.
“We’re seeing a guy that is running with low pads, playing physical — and it’s the same guy every day,” said Kelly near the end of spring. “We got an A-plus Tony one day and [then] a C-plus Tony [in past years]; we’re getting a consistent Tony every single day.”
Following the Louisville game, the head coach said Jones has become relaxed in his role.
“He knows exactly what we're asking of him, and I think that has made him much more comfortable with what he's doing on a day to day basis,” Kelly said. “There were times where he wasn't certain what his role was and it caused him some anxiety at times.”
Instant gratification/stardom has seldom been a part of Notre Dame’s running back corps during head coach Kelly’s first nine seasons. For most, the senior year is when they began to “run with it.” The examples have been numerous:
• Entering 2011, senior Jonas Gray had only 75 career carries for 309 yards and zero touchdowns.
As a senior, his 114 carries resulted in 791 yards for a whopping 6.9 yards per carry and 12 scores before an ACL tear ended his campaign (although later a Sports Illustrated cover followed during a three-year NFL career).
• In 2012, senior Theo Riddick made the transition from wideout to the backfield following 54 carries for 252 yards and zero touchdowns during his first three years.
Shifting back to running back as a senior, Riddick accounted for 1,287 total yards — a team high 917 rushing plus 370 receiving — for the 12-1 Fighting Irish who advanced to the BCS Championship. He is now in his seventh season in the NFL, albeit on injured reserve at Denver.
• Entering 2015, senior C.J. Prosise, a former safety and receiver, had 10 carries for 126 yards to his credit.
Moved to running back as a senior, he rushed for 1,029 yards, 6.6 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns, plus snared 308 yards worth of passes for a team that started 10-1 before injuries slowed him. He became a third-round selection, the highest in 12 years by a Notre Dame running back, or since Julius Jones in 2004.
• Finally, last year the enigmatic Dexter Williams, who never compiled more than 39 carries in a year, entered his senior campaign with “same old story” written all over him when he was suspended from playing the first four games in 2018.
Following that hiatus, Williams became a stalwart, rushing for 995 yards in his nine games at 6.3 yards per clip and 12 touchdowns while helping Notre Dame earn a bid into the four-team College Football Playoff.
The backfield floor now belongs to Jones Jr, who has accumulated 624 yards rushing his first three years, or 17 less than Williams had going into last year.
Jones’ highlights last season included five yards per carry against a vaunted Michigan defense, 174 yards total offense (118 rushing, 56 receiving) in a hard fought 22-17 victory versus Vanderbilt, and a crucial 51-yard touchdown reception in the 24-17 triumph against USC — on his birthday, no less — to secure the playoff bid.
One of the benefits of becoming a senior is attaining wisdom on how to consistently approach competition and daily life. Williams had a reputation of getting sidelined with nagging injuries prior to his senior year, as has Jones.
“I think I’ve found a way to balance my life, to worry about the things that I can control and just keep fighting through it,” Jones said this spring. “I need to balance my emotions, balance as a person and things in my head, and stop thinking so much about things and making it so difficult when it’s really just playing a sport and having fun.”
Like Williams last season, Jones doesn’t want to merely be a part-time contributor.
“I want to be that guy that is remembered in years past,” he said this spring. “I just want to grow as a player and as a person off the field. Coach Kelly is helping me do that in my life.”
Like those who preceded him this decade, Jones now has a chance to “run with it.”
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