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Notre Dame Football: Examining the running back position for the Irish

By Matt Clark

SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 27: Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball in the 1st half against the Navy Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium on October 27, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 27: Jafar Armstrong #8 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball in the 1st half against the Navy Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium on October 27, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
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Jafar Armstrong (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Jafar Armstrong

Jafar Armstrong hopes to restore the high expectations that many had for him heading into the 2019 season as he prepares for the 2020 season. There was a decent amount of hype surrounding Armstrong having a breakout season in 2019 before a groin/abdominal injury early in the first game of the season against Lousiville derailed much of the season for him.

Armstrong would play in only eight games last season, rushing 46 times for 122 yards and one touchdown. His 2.7 yards per carry average was extremely disappointing, though the groin/abdominal injury likely impacted his explosiveness.

A converted wide receiver, the senior is expected to receive a number of screen passes out of the backfield for the Irish this season. However, at 6′ tall and after bulking up to 220-pounds this past year, Armstrong does have the prototypical build to take on the majority of the rushing attempts out of the backfield should the Notre Dame football team require him to do so.

The major question mark for Armstrong won’t be his ability once on the field, but rather his ability to stay on the field. In addition to the groin/abdominal injury that hampered his season last year, Armstrong missed time in 2018 due to an infection from a cut he had on his knee. In total, he has missed seven games in the past two seasons.

If Armstrong can finally shake the injury bug, he could be in for a breakout season in 2020. With his combination of speed, agility, and shiftiness, coupled with his excellent receiving skills out of the backfield, a healthy Armstrong presents a difficult matchup for opposing defenses.

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