Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Point ✦ Counterpoint: Who Will Lead The Irish In All-Purpose Yards In 2013? Amir Carlisle By Dan Murphy George Atkinson III By Andrew Owens The Irish junior, with just one game under his Last year, George Atkinson III showed flashes belt at Notre Dame, starts this battle for all-pur- of brilliance that should make any Irish fan expose yards with ground to gain. He'll do plenty cited for his future as the starting running back. of gaining ground figuratively His breakaway speed led to a and literally this fall. If he can 56-yard touchdown run in the stay healthy for a full season, opener against Navy in Dublin he'll do more of it than anyone and a 55-yarder against Miami else wearing a blue-and-gold at Soldier Field. uniform. While his production trailed Carlisle doesn't have the exoff later in the season (92 perience George Atkinson III or yards in his last seven games TJ Jones bring to the table. He played), he no longer has doesn't have the advantage of Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood being a kick or punter returner ahead of him on the depth to add to his totals either — chart and is expected to realthough there's reason to ceive the bulk of the carries. believe he could get a shot in The Irish have even added the one of those departments by pistol offense as a wrinkle that the time this season comes to Junior George Atkinson III is slated should benefit a downhill runa close. What he does have go- to be the team's top ball carrier and ner like Atkinson. ing for him is the right tools to kick returner this season, which Another advantage he holds be head coach Brian Kelly's of- could give him an upper hand in the over Amir Carlisle and TJ Jones fensive Swiss Army knife. is his kickoff return duties, race for all-purpose yards. photo by bill panzica which should provide another Carlisle is the closest thing to Theo Riddick Notre Dame has on this year's several hundred yards to his all-purpose total, roster. He can line up comfortably in the slot or in especially if he regains his 2011 success in that the backfield. He's quick. He's shifty. And he has department. In that season, he totaled 915 return shown an ability to run between the tackles by yards and scored two touchdowns with a 26.1making decisive cuts in traffic. yard average. Last year, those figures dropped Atkinson will pick up somewhere between 400- to 441 yards, no touchdowns and a 20.0-yard 500 yards returning kicks this season. But Carlisle average. can put a serious dent in that head start if he can Atkinson has yet to impact the passing game catch between 25-30 balls in the receiving game in his Notre Dame career, but rarely has he been and break a few long runs throughout the year. included in third-down packages. Expect that to Riddick chewed up 1,287 yards total last season. change now that he is the No. 1 running back. If If Carlisle can match that, he should be tops on he can hold that title throughout 2013, there is no the team that wants to spread the ball more than reason to believe that Atkinson won't finish atop in the past. the list of all-purpose yardage leaders for the Irish.