Notre Dame football makes a strong case for having the deepest running back room in college football
Head coach Marcus Freeman has said he wants Notre Dame football to be a running offense that is driven by a physical offensive line, and well, he certainly got that on Saturday during the team’s 66-7 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. On the day, the Irish rushed for 342 yards and six touchdowns, averaging an […]
Head coach Marcus Freeman has said he wants Notre Dame football to be a running offense that is driven by a physical offensive line, and well, he certainly got that on Saturday during the team’s 66-7 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. On the day, the Irish rushed for 342 yards and six touchdowns, averaging an absurd 8.6 yards per carry as a team.
You have to give a quick shout out to the offensive line, which had easily their best game as a unit thus far. It was against a pretty talented Purdue defensive line as well, which will have a couple of the members play in the NFL down the road. Even with starters Billy Schrauth and Ashton Craig injured during the game, that group was able to assert their will on the defense. They grew up before our eyes.
Obviously our attention is going to go most to the playmakers carrying the ball, and for very good reason. We can’t exclude quarterback Riley Leonard from this conversation, who rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns in just one half of football. Even with him out of the equation, the team ran for over 250 yards.
They were led by running back Jeremiyah Love, who once again showed just how special he is. On the day, he carried the football just 10 times but it was for a staggering 109 yards and a touchdown. Jadarian Price also carried the ball eight times for 86 yards and another score. You even got glimpses of freshmen Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young throughout the game, rushing for 34 yards on five carries. This is an incredibly deep and talented running back room.
Love was especially impressive, looking like a future first round selection at times. His combination of long speed, explosiveness, and improved power is an impressive mix at 6-0 and 210 pounds. The sophomore star has been the team’s best offensive player through three games, and it hasn’t particularly been close.
While Price will not get the same fanfare as Love, he was tremendous in the game. He is naturally a little more feast of famine as a runner, but he saw his big play ability. When he gets vertical, good luck. His long speed is something to marvel over.
Then you had the chance to see the young bucks in the game as well, including Williams in the first half. He had a huge nine-yard run to convert a third down, which showcased impressive lower body strength. Young opened some eyes when he got touches as well. This might be the deepest running back room we have seen in South Bend in some time.
Here’s a legitimate question: Does Notre Dame have the deepest running back room in college football? Seeing a player like Kedren Young as the fifth running back in the room is pretty absurd. Seeing all of them in action today certainly had Notre Dame fans pumped for the immediate, and long term future in the backfield.
