Irish Breakdown

Kyren Williams, Notre Dame Ground Game Breakout In Victory Over UNC

Notre Dame's struggling ground attack rose to a whole new impressive level in the victory over North Carolina

Grant DelVecchio

For the first time this season Notre Dame was able to dominate a team running the ball from start to finish. In what was a performance reminiscent of last year’s elite rushing attack and ground and pound style of offense, the Irish were able to amass a season-high 293 total yards on the ground against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Coming into the game, North Carolina was giving up 158 rushing yards per game and 4.15 yards per carry. As a team, Notre Dame averaged 7.0 yards a pop on the ground, by far its best mark of the season. In fact, Notre Dame had yet to reach 5.0 yards per carry in a game.

Irish junior running back Kyren Williams put together a spectacular career night, rushing 22 times for an impressive 199 yards. Williams made the play of the game in the fourth quarter when he switched fields on a busted play, stiff-armed a defender and took off down the sideline for a 91-yard touchdown run.

According to Williams, he was thinking touchdown almost the whole way.

“I knew I was going to score as soon as I stiff-armed #12,” Williams said. “At first, it was very cloudy because the play was supposed to go originally right front side and something threw me off to where I just looked back side and I saw nothing but green and #12 there. 

"Somebody was blocking him, he was coming off the block and I just knew at that point when I turned the corner that I had to get gone and there was no denying me getting in the end zone.”

Notre Dame senior safety DJ Brown, who posted five tackles and an interception in replace of the injured Kyle Hamilton, was in awe of Williams’ run.

“Kyren’s run was insane," Brown noted. "I probably haven’t seen a run like that in person. Just going against Kyren every day in practice, you see things like that. Kyren’s a tough runner so to see something like that, I’m surprised but at the same time I’m not surprised because he does it every day in practice.”

On that run, wide receiver Avery Davis and tight end Michael Mayer made some key downfield blocks to ensure Williams’ safe passage to the end zone. Those are plays that Williams doesn’t take for granted.

“It means everything to me because I know what they do each and every week, I know they’re there to catch balls but when they have to block they’re not going to throw a fit about it they’re going to go do it and they’re going to execute it to the highest level,” Williams said. “I just appreciate all my boys out there, everybody collectively working as a group to get a win and succeed.”

Williams was far from the only Irish player who had success running the ball against the Tar Heels. Irish quarterback Jack Coan gained 29 yards on the ground on just three attempts, one of which was a 21-yard touchdown run that gave Notre Dame the lead back in the third quarter. Coming into the game, Coan had zero rushing touchdowns on the season, in fact, he hadn’t had a single game where he finished with positive rushing yardage.

“I was excited about it," Coan said of his running success. "I feel like I’m healthy and I can run, it’s something I can do, and it was good to show it.”

True freshman running back Logan Diggs also had a productive night on the ground, gaining a career-high 42 yards on 11 attempts and scoring his first career touchdown, which came in the third quarter. Diggs, playing in place of Chris Tyree, who was still sidelined (outside of kick return duty) due to a turf-toe injury, stepped up for the second time this season when his number was called. 

Against Virginia Tech, with both Williams and Tyree injured late in the game, Diggs made his Irish debut in the fourth quarter and made crucial plays on both of Notre Dame’s final two drives. Diggs finished that game with 29 yards on six carries and a 15-yard reception.

Few people on the team are happier for Diggs than Williams, who was noticeably amped on the sideline after Diggs’ score.

“That was just pure joy because Logan is a true freshman, he’s in a spot that not many people aren’t able to have and then he goes in there and makes plays and then takes the drive over and ends it with a touchdown,” Williams said. “It was nothing but excitement out of me, I couldn’t say words I was just screaming. I was super excited for Logan and I know what he does each and every week, the work he puts in to get where he’s at.”

Notre Dame has been through five different offensive line combinations this season, but the team seems to have found the right fit with Joe Alt, Andrew Kristofic, Jarrett Patterson, Cain Madden and Josh Lugg starting from left to right. Over the last three games, Notre Dame is averaging 214 yards rushing. The Irish have given up just three sacks total over that same three game span after giving up 20-plus over the previous five games.

A team that once sat at the bottom of among almost all Power 5 teams in nearly every statistical rushing category is starting to find a rhythm. Williams saw this coming after the team’s win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

“This is what I’ve been talking about the past three weeks since Virginia Tech, we’ve been going upwards running the ball wise,” Williams said. "The confidence, the mindset, the identity of who we are as an offense and what we call ourselves, “Big O”, it’s there, it’s coming along and we’re all in for it and we’re all working to get there because we know each and every week we have to get better. 

"There’s something that next week we have to do to make sure that we’re able to keep up this success as an offense and we’re going to go to work this week to make sure that happens.”

At one point this season, it seemed like Notre Dame just wouldn’t be able to run the ball successfully, even with Williams and Tyree in the backfield. The past three games for the Irish have made that narrative obsolete. 

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Grant DelVecchio
GRANT DELVECCHIO

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