Blue and Gold Illustrated

Preseason 2013

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/156066

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 63 of 157

See How They Run Consistent, versatile playmakers are sought in the absence of Theo Riddick T By Lou Somogyi here is a difference between a great runner and a great running back. It's like the difference between a "thrower" and a "passer," the distinction between participating in a home run derby or a regular baseball game, or the contrast from winning a game of H-O-R-S-E in basketball to playing a standard five-on-five game. When it comes to being a great form runner, Notre Dame junior George Atkinson III (6-1½, 220) is as aesthetically pleasing as they come. Nevertheless, one of the fastest men in college football gave up his track career this spring to concentrate on becoming more of a football running back. A 10.36-second sprinter in the 100 meters, Atkinson acknowledged that the discipline as a "lane runner" in track doesn't always translate well onto the football field, where wiggle, cutbacks, vision and eluding contact — or dishing it out — all play a role in defining a great running back, not merely a runner. "You kind of gain a habit of running upright in track — I didn't realize that until now," admitted Atkinson, who at 6-1½ also doesn't have the lower center of gravity or fireplug frame of current Irish running backs such as classmates Cam McDaniel (5‑10) and Amir Carlisle (5‑10), sophomore Will Mahone (5‑11), and freshmen Greg Bryant (5‑10) and Tarean Folston (5‑9½). "Most running backs are 5‑10, 5‑11. I have to focus on dropping my pad level at contact." Nevertheless, Atkinson entered the ultra-competitive running back race this August as the frontrunner because he has tasted the most collegiate success by far. His 361 yards rushing last year were nearly triple of anyone else (McDaniel had 125), and his five touchdowns were highlighted by a short cutback run for the winning score in the fourth quarter during a 17-14 comeback win over Brigham Young. When Atkinson was a freshman in 2011, his explosiveness was manifested with 88- and 92-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns against Michigan State and USC, respectively. Last year, though, his running back num-

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue and Gold Illustrated - Preseason 2013