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Notre Dame Football: Kyren Williams could finish with a top-10 season

By Brad Weiss

Nov 7, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) stiff arms Clemson Tigers safety Nolan Turner (24) on his way to a touchdown in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Kyren Williams (23) stiff arms Clemson Tigers safety Nolan Turner (24) on his way to a touchdown in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame football team has a special running back in Kyren Williams, who is inching towards a top-10 single-season rushing mark in school history.

The Notre Dame football team went into the 2020 college football season with a question mark at running back, as they saw star Tony Jones Jr., graduate. In his place, the Irish had a few options, including freshman Chris Tyree, junior C’Bo Flemister, and redshirt freshman Kyren Williams, so enough talent to replace him.

What was looked at as a possible committee at running back quickly turning into Williams’ spot, as he rushed for over 100 yards against Duke in the season opener. That would be only a glimpse of what was to come, as Williams dominated the ACC all season long, and was named the conference’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Stacking numbers throughout, the star is now on the brink of joining some elite company with a strong showing in the Rose Bowl.

Williams enters the CFP 118 yards away from the top-10

Entering the Rose Bowl matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Williams has racked up 1,061 yards on the ground. That total includes six 100-yard games, including a career-high 185 against the Florida State. The star has scored two-or-more touchdowns five times this season, finishing with 12 touchdowns on the ground.

The No. 10 all-time single-season in terms of rushing yards was put together by Autry Denson back in 1996 That season, Denson rushed for 1,179, putting together his first of two of the top-10 rushing season in program history, records he set in back-to-back years.

Denson is the program’s all-time leading rusher.

Of course, the top season in school history was put together by Vagas Ferguson, who rushed for 1,437 back in 1979. Three years ago, Josh Adams came close to breaking that record, rushing for 1,430 yards back in 2017, including a 229-yard effort against Boston College.

Williams is already tied for No.10 all-time in a single season in rushing touchdowns and can shoot up the charts with a strong effort on New YEar’s Day.

Next. Notre Dame football: 2021 recruiting class ranked in top-10 by ESPN. dark

Remember, this is only Williams’ redshirt freshman season, so he still has a lot of football left with the Irish. For Williams, he will be key in Notre Dame doing anything against No. 1 Alabama on New Year’s Day, and if he can somehow get to around 120 yards on the ground, he would have put together a top-10 season in terms of running the football.

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