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Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons the Irish will be in 2019 College Football Playoff

By Quinn Douglas

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 01: Zach Gentry #83 and Khalid Kareem #53 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a 24-17 win over the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 01: Zach Gentry #83 and Khalid Kareem #53 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a 24-17 win over the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – OCTOBER 6: Running back Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – OCTOBER 6: Running back Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /

2. A trio of rushers

If you any of you who read this watch and pay attention to trends in the NFL, you might notice that the every-down back is on the verge of extinction. Teams such as the Saints with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram and the Eagles with Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount last season, used different backs in different situations when a specific skill set was required. Football is a copycat game, and Notre Dame has appeared to have copied that strategy with a trio of backs.

The bellcow of this trio is senior running back Dexter Williams. Williams was suspended for the first four games of the season due to a rumored internal conflict. He made his season debut against Stanford and didn’t miss a beat, rushing for 161 yards and a touchdown. The next week against Virginia Tech, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns, including a 97-yard bolt to break the game wide open for the Irish.

The second of the three backs is 5-foot-11, 220-pound junior Tony Jones Jr. Jones Jr., received a bulk of the carries in the first four games, as he’s accumulated 314 yards on the season. While his role is diminished, he is still a valuable asset to the Notre Dame backfield. The third member is the hybrid running back/receiver Jafar Armstrong. He shared the load with Jones Jr., at the start of the year, splitting time at running back and wide receiver and put up solid numbers. However, a knee infection has kept him out of the last three games, which Notre Dame would like to see go away.

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