Notre Dame football vs. North Carolina: Offensive Grades in Week 9

Notre Dame football vs. North Carolina: Offensive Grades in Week 9

Running Backs

Early in the second half, Kyren Williams went down with an apparent knee injury. He had played well to that point. A good punt return set up points for Notre Dame, and he had also been effective in the rushing game. The injury itself looked bad. His leg was pinned under a Ter Heel defender and rolled up. Immediately, he grabbed at his right knee and was taken quickly to the injury tent.

Chris Tyree was back, but still very limited with turf toe. That left freshman running back Logan Diggs to handle a larger load of carries. Eventually, on the drive that Williams was hurt, Diggs scored his first touchdown at the college level, going over the top on the North Carolina defense at the goal line.

On the next drive, Williams came back into the game. After the hit he took, it was a bit of a surprise, but he immediately made his mark. Once again, Williams proved why he’s one of the most dynamic running backs in all of college football, nearly reaching 200 yards on the night. It was his best game all season.

The run that everyone is going to remember is Williams’ 91-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter. Originally, the play was designed to go to the right side. There wasn’t any room, as the line had been blown off the ball by North Carolina. Williams then reversed field. It was the kind of play that screamed five-yard loss as the Tar Heel defender who stayed home to contain that side of the field went to make the play. Except, Williams had no intention of going down. He threw a brutal stiff arm to break the tackle, then he hit the seam and was off like a streak of light.

Superb game from the backfield, especially Kyren Williams. Notre Dame needs him to keep playing like that all season.

Grade= A+