Rushing Attack Critical Against Texas
The running game, at least in the opinion of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, will be a “big factor” in Sunday’s game against Texas.
And though the quarterbacks grab the headlines, the seventh-year coach wanted to make it clear that the team able to run the ball most effectively will have a sizeable advantage.
“Our running backs are ready,” senior running back Tarean Folston said. “Whether I run the ball 20 times or the whole group runs it 50 times, we’re all ready.”
Folston — who suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter of last year’s Texas game — said he’ll have plenty of motivation for every game this year. Sunday’s game, though, is especially important.
“Going into this game, I’ve definitely got a chip on my shoulder,” Folston said. “I definitely thought about, ‘Dang, I did get hurt last against this team, I didn’t get to show against this team.’ This year I can.”
Texas finished ranked 112th in the country in run defense in 2015, allowing 219.17 yards per game on the ground. The Longhorns allowed teams to carry the ball on average 4.51 yards per rush attempt.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, was among the best rushing teams in 2015. The Irish averaged 207.92 yards per game rushing, an average of 5.63 yards per carry.
That again will be the main identity of Notre Dame’s offense.
“You know, no matter what happens, we're running the football,” Kelly said.
Junior defensive end Naashon Hughes and sophomore linebacker Malik Jefferson are Texas’ more fearsome defenders. Hughes started all 12 games at defensive end and led the team with nine tackles for loss and was second with 5.5 sacks.
Jefferson, a former prep All-American who started nine games as a rookie and earned freshman All-America honors, finished second on the team in tackles (61), led the Longhorns in pressures (six) and was fourth in tackles for loss (seven).
Still, the question is whether Texas’ defense can hold up against Notre Dame’s rushing attack.
“(It’s a) big, athletic front,” Kelly said of Texas. “You know, again, a group that I thought played better and better as the year went on. ...I thought they really tightened things up defensively against the run.”
Notre Dame ran for 214 yards on 52 carries in a 38-3 win over the Longhorns last season. That was significantly higher than Notre Dame’s season average of 36.92 attempts per game.
Behind Folston and sophomore Josh Adams — who are listed as co-starters on the Irish depth chart — Notre Dame also has sophomore Dexter Williams and freshman Tony Jones Jr.
Adams played a key role as a freshman in 2015, playing 338 offensive snaps. Williams got 44 snaps in 2015, including a combined 24 in two blowout wins over Texas and Massachusetts.
“Our running back room is old in a sense,” Folston said. “We’ve got young guys, but we have the most guys that have seen time as far as our position. We’re ready.”
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