Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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require that the five interior linemen, numbered 50-79, never line up as eli- gible receivers. Because McGlinchey wears 68, he would need an "eligible" number as a potential pass-catching target at tight end.) But what if Matt Hegarty, the starter at center when Martin was injured, proves to be the fifth best lineman? Then maybe Martin shifts to right guard and Lombard back out to right tackle. If three-game starter Conor Hanratty is one of the five best, then does he play left guard, with Elmer then moving to right tackle? Flexibility to play multiple positions will remain an asset along the offensive line. First it's about finding the fifth starting lineman. 3. BACKFIELD BALANCE Three might be a crowd in affairs of the heart, but not in a college football backfield. Kelly has utilized three-man rotations the past two years, first with Theo Rid- dick (917 yards rushing), Cierre Wood (742) and George Atkinson III (361) in 2012, and then last year Cam McDaniel (705 yards), Atkinson (555) and fresh- man Tarean Folston (470). By the end of the season, Folston — the top rusher over the final six games — had taken snaps away from Atkin- son, possibly hastening the latter's de- cision to turn pro as a junior. Yet despite the departure of Atkinson and a current audition of former run- ning back starter Amir Carlisle at slot, the backfield picture appears to remain crowded because of the return of an X- factor: Greg Bryant. The 5-9¾, 204-pound Bryant was medically redshirted last season while he tended to a knee problem, but he was back by December. "He's very violent when he runs, I think all the guys would say that," Mc- Daniel said of Bryant. "I know our guys don't like to tackle him," echoed Kelly of the 2012 USA To- day second-team All-American Bryant. "He's physical. He's got all the tools to be a premier running back. You add him to the mix with Cam and Tarean, and we feel really fortunate to have three great running backs. "You're never really going to have one guy and feature one guy. He's go- ing to continue to develop, continue to get stronger, continue to learn the offense." And continue the competition that last year began with Atkinson and Car- lisle as the top two runners. Senior Cam McDaniel led the Irish in rushing last year with 705 yards, but he will have to fend off rising sophomores Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant for carries in 2014. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA