Notre Dame Football: Midterm Grades – Offense

Every single Running Back the Irish coaches place in the backfield ends up with frequent success. Of course, the Fighting Irish are led by Junior Captain Josh Adams who breaks through tackles in the secondary on his way to pay dirt.

Adams carried the ball 86 times for 776 yards and 5 touchdowns in the first half of Notre Dame’s season. That total ranks as the 7th best in the FBS.

His contributions are not the only ones that the Irish have grown accustomed to. Tony Jones Jr., Dexter Williams, Deon McIntosh and CJ Holmes all contributed major carries. Behind Adams and Wimbush, McIntosh has collected the third most rushing yards with 230.

This group only features a few flaws on the season. First, Adams, Williams and Jones Jr. struggle to stay healthy for an entire game. Sometimes the best ability is availability. Second, the group and the coaching staff’s management of the group really struggled against a great defense like the Georgia. The Irish will get a second chance in the second half of the season when they face NC State.

The Wide Receiver is probably the most frustrating group on the team. During the spring, the general belief was that there were enough talented players on the roster that the staff could find a  combination of players that would be truly effective. However, as the season closed in, many wondered why transfers appeared to be jumping players who were destined to start. Now, we know.

Equaniemous St. Brown was the one player that Notre Dame could count on at the beginning of the season. His year has not been spectacular. In six games, St. Brown only snagged 15 passes for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Chase Claypool emerged as the second receiver against Boston College. He caught 12 balls for 144 yards in six game.

Overall, this group has really disappointed. This is partially the fault of Quarterbacks who struggle throwing the ball at the moment.