Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/156066
bers — highlighted by a sparkling 7.1 yards per carry — were a tad skewed. Of his 361 yards rushing, 99 (on nine carries) came against Navy in a 50-10 blowout, and a career-high 123 (on 10 carries) was against Miami in a 41-3 shellacking, and the Irish had already built a 27-3 lead when he ran for a 55-yard touchdown. That's 222 yards and 11.7 yards per carry against two badly beaten opponents — but only 139 yards and 4.3 yards per carry in within the offense. It could be pass catching, it could be protection, it could be a little bit of both. … It could be a third-down back, it could be that guy that gets us that tough yard. But the No. 1 clear back will be that guy that runs the ball most effectively and is truly the best running back." Although Atkinson is classified as a "breakaway back," he said he realizes that the big runs will come by first making the consistent three- and four- "All the other backs will have a role within the offense. It could be pass catching, it could be protection, it could be a little bit of both. … It could be a third-down back, it could be that guy that gets us that tough yard. But the No. 1 clear back will be that guy that runs the ball most effectively and is truly the best running back." Head coach Brian Kelly the other 10 games he played. The graduated Theo Riddick was the No. 1 running back last year not only because of his versatility as a receiver (36 catches) and blocker, but because of the way he consistently picked up the three or four yards required for first downs. Riddick's 190 carries averaged 4.8 yards, which were dwarfed by the graduated Cierre Wood's 6.5 (114 carries) and Atkinson's 7.1 (51 carries) — but it was Riddick who was most reliable for the "tough yards" that aren't always reflected on the stat sheet. "Theo Riddick was the No. 1 running back because he ran the ball the way we wanted to play the game last year," head coach Brian Kelly explained. "That will be the No. 1 running back [this year, too]. "All the other backs will have a role yard gains. The worst situation is trying to make four yards into 40 — and then ending up with zero or negative yardage. "Just realizing that not every play is going to be a 50-yard run is a big step for me," Atkinson said. "Last year, I was more focused on trying to make that big play, trying to break it outside every chance I get to outrun the defense. But now I realize it's about getting those vertical runs, getting those tough yards through the defense. "When I'm running I'm looking at every chance I have to get vertical and push the ball up field rather than running around people and trying to outrun people. That just comes with maturity and consistency." While studying film of great NFL backs such as the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson, Atkinson noticed