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Notre Dame Football: Writers Play Fact or Fiction

By Sonny Martinez

CHESTNUT HILL, MA - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
CHESTNUT HILL, MA - SEPTEMBER 16: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 15: Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Statement No. 2: Despite the loss of Josh Adams and the dominant left side of the offensive line, 2018’s rushing attack will be stronger than 2017’s.

JP: Fiction. Josh Adams was the starter for a reason.  He was the best North-South runner the Irish had and was running behind two top-ten NFL Draft picks. Unless the 2018 offensive line makes some major, unexpected strides, the running game will see some sort of dropoff.

Jack: Fiction. Stronger? No. More efficient? Possibly. There is little-to-no chance that the Irish rushing attack is stronger than it was a season ago, but that’s an incredibly high bar to set. The departures of Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, and Josh Adams will have a significant affect on the run game in 2018. However, Notre Dame’s opponents will be less likely to put an extra man in the box to stop the run. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish are more efficient running the ball this season.

Sonny: Fiction. The run game won’t be stronger, but may look better as a unit if that makes any sense. There’s a lot of talent at running back, but the offensive line needs to develop and replace the irreplaceable. If that happens, it could become fact, but I think replacing two elite lineman in one season without missing a beat is totally unreasonable. The running back stable as a whole may have more options, but I don’t think this will translate to a better overall performance than last season’s.

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