Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
BY LOU SOMOGYI I f an award were given for the most underrated figure on Notre Dame's football team entering the 2015 sea- son, junior running back Tarean Folston likely would run away with it, no pun intended. It's a role he is adept at handling. Upon signing with the Fighting Irish in February 2013, Folston was "the other back" from Florida. Delray Beach native Greg Bryant received the rare elite five- star rating from Rivals and was invited to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Meanwhile, Folston, from Cocoa, played in the Under Armour All-Amer- ican Game — at cornerback and safety, where he intercepted one pass and broke up another. After leading Notre Dame in rushing over the final six games of 2013 during his freshman season, though, Folston re- mained overshadowed by leading rush- ing Cam McDaniel, who as a senior was selected as a team captain (Bryant was medically redshirted as a freshman). After leading Notre Dame in rushing last year with 889 yards (Bryant's 289 were a distant second), Folston's 1,359 career yards on the ground are the fourth most ever by a Notre Dame running back entering his junior campaign, be- hind only Allen Pinkett (1982-85), Darius Walker (2004-06) and — wouldn't you know it — newly hired Irish running backs coach Autry Denson (1995-98), yet another figure who casts an immense shadow in the Fighting Irish backfield. In Notre Dame's 31-28 Music City Bowl victory versus LSU last December, Folston helped open up the 263-yard rushing attack by pounding between the tackles for a hard-earned 73 yards on 21 carries, but was eclipsed by the perfor- mances of first-time starting quarterback Malik Zaire and slot man C.J. Prosise. Zaire was named MVP while rushing for a team-high 96 yards, and Prosise's 50-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter to tie the game helped him fin- ish with 75 rushing yards. Still, Folston's bread-and-butter work provided more of a feast from Zaire and Prosise. Folston also had the longest play, a 16-yard reception, during Notre Dame's game winning 71-yard march. This spring, with the 6-1, 220-pound THE CENTERPIECE Well-grounded Tarean Folston remains the leader of the rushing game