Notre Dame Football 2017: Midseason position grades

Notre Dame’s backfield has been as impressive as ever this year. Standout Josh Adams averages nine yards per carry, good for fourth in the nation. Behind him are running backs Dexter Williams, Tony Jones Jr., and Deon McIntosh. As if Adams isn’t enough, Williams and McIntosh average 10.7 and 5.8 yards per carry, respectively.

With Wimbush’s passing inefficiencies, the run game has been the go-to for the Irish over the course of the entire season. In the Georgia game we were given a taste of what the Irish can look like with the run game contained, and it didn’t look good. However, Notre Dame has yet to play another defense of Georgia’s caliber and have thrived ever since.

With one of the deepest backfields in the nation, the Irish have been able to survive quite a few injuries. Adams has seen his totals dip a bit due to a hampering ankle injury, and Williams has been out for a few weeks with the same issue. However, Adams has found success early with Jones and McIntosh cleaning up late.

Worst Game:

The reason this backfield only received an A was due to their struggles against Georgia. The Irish were unable to get anything going against the Bulldogs, finishing with only 55 rushing yards as a team. Wimbush was held in check both through the air and on the ground, limiting Adams and company’s production on the day.

Best Game:

The Irish backfield played their best game of the year in their season opener against Temple, as Adams and Williams combined for 285 rushing yards. Williams finished with an insane 20.7 yards per carry average, establishing himself as a solid replacement should Adams be sidelined. Notre Dame finished with five rushing touchdowns on the day, highlighting their commitment to the run.