Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Bowling Green in Week 6
By Jacob Wilson
3. Notre Dame posts over 300 rushing yards
Initially considered quite the complementary piece to an already explosive offense, the run game has underwhelmed this season, particularly at times when it was needed most. Part of this can be attributed to the absence of junior Jafar Armstrong (groin injury), but there are other aspects of this run game that would likely struggle regardless of Armstrong’s presence.
Senior Tony Jones Jr. has been adequate in relief of Armstrong, but his skill set doesn’t quite cater to the life of an every-down back. The Irish would’ve liked to turn to Jahmir Smith after a promising Week 1 performance against Louisville, but a sprained toe has limited his participation up to this point. That left the Irish with few options as they attempted to navigate the most difficult portion of their schedule.
The schedule hasn’t been very kind to Ian Book so far, but the senior hasn’t looked remotely close to the quarterback we saw last season. There’s plenty of time for that to change, but establishing a run game would take a lot of pressure off of Book regardless of how he turns out this season.
If all of this isn’t reason enough, there’s a personal aspect to this game that could have Kelly pushing hard for a productive offense. Former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has taken the same position with Bowling Green, and as you may remember, there was no love lost between him and Kelly during their time together. This, combined with the talent disparity, could result in the Irish putting up over 300 yards on the ground, by far their most productive outing of the season.