Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/621849
UNDER THE DOME Autry Denson By Andrew Owens To put together a 10-2 regular season, it takes a lot of work from some very talented assistant coaches. It takes a number of efforts to field a team that can challenge for a College Football Playoff spot. While offensive coordina- tor and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford did a tremen- dous job training sopho- more DeShone Kizer to step in for Malik Zaire in week two, the fruits of first-year running backs coach Autry Denson are slightly more impressive. When Denson accepted the job at his alma ma- ter last February, Notre Dame's top two returning running backs were juniors Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. The duo combined for seven snaps in the entire 2015 season due to separate circum- stances. In the spring, Denson trained senior slot receiver C.J. Prosise at the position. While the Irish didn't know at the time that Prosise would become the feature back this season, he stepped into that role admirably. He rushed for 1,032 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns in the regular season, with most of that work coming in the first two months before injuries slowed him down. Once injuries sidelined Prosise, Notre Dame did not miss a beat with freshman Josh Adams. The Warrington, Pa., product tallied 7.4 yards per carry and rushed for 757 yards in limited work. Notre Dame's mark of 5.76 yards per carry — a figure that includes sacks, quarterback rushes and jet sweeps — ranked sixth in the nation, a credit to Denson's work in his first season on Brian Kelly's staff. Harry Hiestand By Bryan Driskell Notre Dame finished the regular season with one of the nation's top offenses. The Irish coaching staff did an outstanding job developing young talent, finding replacements for injured players and putting together consistently strong game plans. It was an all- around great effort from the Irish offensive coaches. The offense was well bal- anced, producing 214.8 yards per game on the ground and 256.7 yards per contest through the air. Notre Dame finished ranked in the top 25 for total of- fense, rushing offense, yards per pass attempt, yards per completion and pass efficiency. The offense was explosive, ranking fifth nationally with an average of 7.1 yards per play. Quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford and running backs coach Autry Denson did tremendous work replacing injured starters and continuing production at their respective positions. Wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock oversaw a group that performed admirably all season. The group that truly fueled the team's offensive success was the line, which was led by position coach Harry Hiestand. His unit was consistent and dominant for much of the season finishing as a final- ist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the na- tion's top line. No matter who was behind them, the Irish front opened up huge run lanes and protected the quarterback. Hiestand helped develop left tackle Ronnie Stanley into an All-American and a potential high draft pick, and saw the rise of right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Quenton Nelson, who are on the verge of becoming two of the nation's best linemen. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH IRISH ASSISTANT DID THE BEST JOB IN 2015? DENSON HIESTAND