Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Warming Up Florida freshman running back Tarean Folston finds his rhythm in the cold I By Lou Somogyi t was Oct. 8 when freshman running back Tarean Folston had his first meeting with the media that was covering the Notre Dame football beat. At the time, South Bend, Ind., was experiencing an Indian summer with sunshine and temperatures still in the 70s, but Folston was still a far cry from his native Cocoa, Fla., residence. "It's gotten cold a few times," Folston noted. "It's kind of scary. I know there's a lot colder weather coming along, so I'm just preparing myself, buying all the right gear." Fortunately, climate control was not the primary factor in his decision to sign with Notre Dame instead of an SEC school last February. Now that the weather is turning cold, Folston is beginning to warm up, literally and figuratively. In his second session with the media, shortly after the 38-34 win over Navy Nov. 2 in which he ran for 140 yards (91 of them on 11 carries in the pulsating fourth quarter) and scored the game-winning touchdown, Folston wore a Notre Dame stocking cap and an air of nonchalance while comfort- ably leaning up against a prop. "Today, it was 40-something," he noted of the temperature. "I came in thinking, 'Oh man, it's going to be another freezing game' — but it wasn't that bad. I'm not sure if I'm getting kind of used to it. Being in a game, my body temperature rose and it was fun." The fun is just beginning for Folston. In The Spotlight At Cocoa High last year, Folston was named the Associated Press Florida Class 4A first-team all-state running and Florida Today Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,722 yards and 16 scores against prime competition. In his three varsity seasons the team traveled to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and even Pennsylvania and Ohio for games. "He's been on the big stage — obviously nothing like Notre Dame — and it's always been in him to respond well to it," said John Wilkinson, who was Folston's coach at Cocoa. "Yet he's super humble and not one to toot his horn. He never cared about stats or touchdowns; only helping his team win." Wilkinson credits Folston's fa-