Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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for the longest scoring run with a 98- yard effort. In the regular-season finale, Adams gashed the Stanford defense for 168 yards, eclipsing Jerome Heavens' single-game Notre Dame freshman re- cord of 148 yards that had stood for 40 years. Adams finished the regular season with 757 yards while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Heavens held the Notre Dame record for an 11-game regular season (756), while Darius Walker's 786 yards rush- ing during the 6-6 campaign in 2004 set the new standard. It is a mark Adams was expected to surpass in the Fiesta Bowl. As an early enrollee, Tillery was one of the top stories during spring practice when he replaced injured senior Jar- ron Jones at nose guard. When Jones was injured again in August, Tillery and sophomore Daniel Cage split time there, and his 351 snaps (Cage had 255) were the most among the rookies and fourth most among the defensive line- men. BIGGEST SURPRISE: RUNNING BACK C.J. PROSISE It has been quite a journey for Prosise, who entered Notre Dame as a safety in the 2012 recruiting class as a Rivals three-star prospect and the No. 22 player in Virginia. He was unranked nationally. After seeming to have found a home Difference Makers Revisited In August, we listed Notre Dame's 10 potential difference makers in 2015. That didn't necessarily mean the 10 best players, but rather how much might be on their shoulders. Here's how they fared in the regular season. 1. Quarterback Malik Zaire Stats: Completed 26 of 40 passes for 428 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while rush- ing for another 103 yards in two games. Season: Zaire became the starter once Everett Golson transferred over the summer, but that stint lasted only into week two before he suffered a fractured ankle. In a small sample size, Notre Dame's offense was explosive with Zaire under center, before sophomore DeShone Kizer took over for the remaining 11 games. 2. Nose Guard Jerry Tillery Stats: Recorded 12 tackles (two for loss) and one sack during the regular season. Season: The freshman proved to be immensely important to the Irish defense once senior nose guard Jarron Jones missed the entire regular season due to a knee injury. Tillery and sophomore Daniel Cage tag-teamed the nose guard spot and played well in the middle of the defensive line in Jones' absence. 3. Linebacker Jaylon Smith Stats: Made 113 tackles (nine for loss, including one sack) with five passes broken up, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble during the regular season. Season: Smith earned the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and rarely had an off game for the Irish. His production might have been even more appreciated had the Irish defense as a whole been more consistent.