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✦ News & notes By Lou Somogyi Backfield Committee Stays In Session Don't hold your breath waiting for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly to name a "starter" at running back this year. Just like in spring practice and throughout August camp, there is no standout. Each of the three juniors — George Atkinson III, Amir Carlisle and Cam McDaniel — has a particular skill set that will be utilized at appropriate times, while freshmen Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston, who have higher ceilings, will be gradually developed during the season. The current structure of the Irish offense will dictate who to insert and how to best utilize him. "I think across the country, that singular back, that one guy, has not been able to fit all the things that you want to do offensively," Kelly said. "The position has now required a guy that is multidimensional, and it's better to find that maybe in two or three different backs." • The speedster Atkinson, who is ranked 16th nationally in kickoff returns with a 29.4-yard average on eight runbacks, might be listed as the starter, but his 18 carries (98 yards) are the third most among the corps, behind Carlisle's 30 (148 yards) and McDaniel's 29 (125 yards). • The leading rusher Carlisle had 11 carries for only 16 yards at Purdue, plus a lost fumble, but Kelly said his blocking on blitzes (including the 82-yard touchdown pass to DaVaris Daniels in which Carlisle picked up blitzing safety Taylor Richards) was "tremendous." That alone will get him on the field. • McDaniel, who carried only once in the loss at Michigan, was the finisher at Purdue, carrying 10 times for 42 yards, two of them converting third-and-short situations, to drain the final 7:22 of the Junior George Atkinson III is listed as the starter at running back, but his 18 carries and 98 rushing yards both rank third on the team. clock. McDaniel was the only one who got into a running rhythm, and Kelly admitted that repeatedly feeding the underrated McDaniel (who finished with 56 yards on 16 carries) allowed him to develop a feel for the holes and blocks. "There's no mistaking that that helps," Kelly said of using a back consistently rather than piece meal. "He got better, and he saw things as he got more carries." Kelly said it's also fair to inquire why the running game, which finished with only 91 yards each of the past two weeks, struggled so much at Purdue until the last drive, but also noted circumstances were different. "We were trying to take time off the clock, so there's a different mindset in terms of what you're doing," Kelly said. "… I think settling into the game, getting into some checks that our guys knew how they were lining up. Purdue did a very ✦ Page 11 photo by bill panzica good job in the first half of giving us multiple looks that we hadn't really seen, and it took us some time to get our bearings." Kelly remained adamant that the backfield would not be a one-man show. "They are all contributing," he said. "I think we'll continue to see it week to week. Next week, maybe we'll talk about somebody else … I don't know that we are going to have one guy that we put up there and say, he's the guy."