Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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strengthened his grip on the position. He finished the night with 21 carries for 120 yards, while his fellow ball car- riers were limited to one carry apiece. "[Folston] is an outstanding back," head coach Brian Kelly said. "Our of- fensive line did a very good job. "He's an elusive and effective back. All of those things came into play to have an effective running game against a pretty good defense." After reshuffling the offensive line during the bye week preceding Notre Dame's victory over Stanford, the Irish struggled with chemistry and cohesion along the front. In the last two weeks, those issues have subsided. Against the Tar Heels, the line led the way for 219 rushing yards with an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Versus the Seminoles, the Irish totaled 157 rushing yards with an average of 4.5 yards per carry. "We just want to be five guys on the same page," senior guard and team captain Nick Martin said. "Our run- ning backs did a great job." Folston rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries in the first half alone, but Flor- ida State's 21 points in the second half forced Notre Dame away from the run a bit. Everett Golson ended up at- tempting 26 passes in each half. BYE WEEK BLUES Notre Dame will have plenty of time to reflect on the deflating loss with a bye week scheduled before facing Navy Nov. 1 in Landover, Md. Just like all bye weeks, the Irish hope to allow the bumps and bruises innate to football to heal and to work on any areas on the field deemed inefficient, but during this layover, the sting of the loss will linger. "The biggest thing is going to be Sophomore running back Tarean Folston received the bulk of the backfield work against Florida State, compiling 21 carries for 120 yards (5.7 yards per attempt). PHOTO BY SUZANNA PRATT