Notre Dame Football vs Michigan Running Back Comparison

After a bye week, 8th ranked Notre Dame Football (5-1) heads to The Big House, in Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the rival 19th ranked Michigan Wolverines (5-2).

Here is an in-depth positional breakdown of how Notre Dame football matches up with the Wolverines in this epic matchup at the running back position:

Notre Dame

Tony Jones Jr. 5’11”, 225 pound, senior, 4-star recruit out of Bradenton, FL

80 carries for 557 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns

Jahmir Smith 5’11”, 205 pound, sophomore, 3-star recruit out of Sanford, NC

19 rushing attempts for 93 yards and two rushing touchdowns

Jafar Armstrong 6’0″, 220 pound sophomore, 3-star recruit out of Lee’s Summit, MO

Three rushing attempts for 6 rushing yards and zero rushing touchdowns

Michigan

Zach Charbonnet 6’1″, 225 pound, freshman, 4-star recruit out of Camarillo, CA

94 carries for 457 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns

Hassan Haskins 6’1″, 220 pound, sophomore, 3-star recruit out of Eureka, MO

39 rushing attempts for 217 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown

Christian Turner 5’11”, 200 pound, sophomore, 3-star recruit out of Buford, GA

37 rushing attempts for 146 yards and one rushing touchdown

Advantage-Notre Dame

Despite the freshman Charbonnet holding the advantage in rushing touchdowns, Tony Jones Jr. gets the nod. Jones Jr. has been a breakout star for the Irish this year in their running game, rushing for over 100 yards in four of the six games this season.

Jones Jr. seems to be getting better as the season wears on, having rushed for 176 yards against a very good USC Trojans defense last game. Jahmir Smith has shown the ability to pound the football when given the chance and Jafar Armstrong continues to work his way back from the abdominal tear suffered in week one.

Meanwhile, both Hassan Haskins and Christian Turner posses solid run skills that make them more than capable backups to starter Zach Chabonnet.

The effectiveness of Jones Jr. in the run game — the fact that he is averaging 7.0 yards per carry in comparison to Charbonnet’s 4.9 yards per carry — and the fact that Jones Jr. has exactly 100 more rushing yards than Charbonnet on the season — despite carrying the ball 14 less times — tips the scale advantage Notre Dame.

It should also be noted that both Tony Jones Jr. and Jafar Armstrong were on the preseason watchlist for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s premier running back, a clear indication of the talent that the Irish possess in their backfield.