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The Five Best Offensive Players Notre Dame Will Face in 2016

By Bobby Norell

Jan 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) scores on a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2016 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl. Stanford defeated Iowa 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) scores on a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2016 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl. Stanford defeated Iowa 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 5, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) tries to avoid being tackled by Southern California Trojans cornerback Kevon Seymour (13) after running for a first down in the second quarter in the Pac-12 Conference football championship game at Levi
Dec 5, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) tries to avoid being tackled by Southern California Trojans cornerback Kevon Seymour (13) after running for a first down in the second quarter in the Pac-12 Conference football championship game at Levi /

Is there really anybody else worthy of No.1? The answer is NO. McCaffrey had an all-world year last season. Last season he ran for 2,019 yards, eight touchdowns, caught 45 balls for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He was a menace in the return game as he brought back one punt and one kick for touchdowns. Hell, he even threw for two touchdowns. He literally did it all last season for the Cardinal. It was truly a historic season for McCaffrey as broke Reggie Bush’s Pac-12 record and Barry Sanders’ NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a single season with 3,864. This year he’s back for more as he’s an early favorite to take home the 2016 Heisman Trophy.

Next: First Thoughts on Stanford

Smith-Schuster may be the most explosive athlete the Irish will face, but McCaffrey is most certainly the best all-around football player the Irish will see. His ability to run, catch and sometime throw the ball makes it tough for teams to gameplan for him. The Irish did a decent job of bottling up McCaffrey last season as he only rushed for 94 yards on 27 carries. Notre Dame loaded up the box with seven or eight defenders and thus exposed their weak secondary. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish do something similar this season. Last year they took their chances on an experienced QB like Kevin Hogan to beat them, which he did. This season Stanford will have a new inexperienced signal caller. If I’m the Irish I’m taking my chances with whoever that may be than with McCaffrey.

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