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Notre Dame Football: Top 5 running backs Irish will face in 2020

By Jack Leniart

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Derion Kendrick #1 of the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Derion Kendrick #1 of the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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1. Travis Etienne (Clemson)

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Derion Kendrick #1 of the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Derion Kendrick #1 of the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Similar to the revelation that Trevor Lawrence was ranked number one in my list of the top quarterbacks Notre Dame will face in 2020, there should be absolutely no surprise that Travis Etienne is the top running back on this list.

Etienne was able to make an impact at Clemson as a true freshman in 2017. He appeared in 13 games for the Tigers that season – including the ACC Championship and the Semifinal of the College Football Playoff. He averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and finished that year with 766 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

The following season, he increased his yards per attempt average by a full yard. With 204 total carries, Etienne averaged 8.1 yards per attempt and finished the season with 1,463 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.

In the semifinal of the College Football Playoff following the 2018 season, Notre Dame fans got a first-hand look at Etienne. The star running back had 109 rushing yards and a touchdown to help Clemson cruise to a 30-3 victory.

He set a high water mark with his statistics in his sophomore season, but he easily bested those numbers in 2019. Last season, Etienne averaged 7.8 yards per attempts and finished the year with 1,614 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

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His most notable improvement, though, was his involvement in the passing game. After only catching 17 total passes in his first two seasons, Etienne had 37 receptions in 2019. He turned those catches into 432 yards and four touchdowns.

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