Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Brandon Wimbush has surpassed Kizer

3. Wimbush’s playing style allows for more Josh Adams

Again, this is more of an indirect effect of Wimbush than a slight towards Kizer. Both players have different skill sets and both skill sets have been used differently. Kizer’s pass-first mentality coupled with a strong arm led to a pocket-passing approach from Kelly. However, Wimbush’s running prowess allows Kelly to scale back his up-tempo offense in exchange for a possession approach.

Last year, Kizer’s style of play led to the Irish running the ball an average of 36.5 times a game, good for 96th in the country. In comparison, the Irish now average about 45 rushing plays a game, good for 22nd in the nation. While many would argue that Wimbush contributes a good amount to that number, he’s currently on track to carry the ball only seven times more than Kizer did in 2016.

While it’s hard to account for how many times Irish standout Josh Adams would’ve carried the ball in 2016 due to a crowded backfield and an assortment of injuries, a total can be inferred from the backfield’s share as a whole. Running backs were responsible for 274 of Notre Dame’s carries last year, but are now on pace to record 352 attempts in 2017.

What this tells us is that Wimbush’s presence has led to significantly more opportunities for Josh Adams and the run game as a whole. A projected difference of seven carries from Kizer to Wimbush over a year hardly skews the statistics, providing yet another reason why Wimbush’s effect on this team has been a positive one.