Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Atkinson III, who earned all-conference honors in track and field in 2012 after running the 100-meter dash in 10.36 seconds, is Notre Dame's leading returning rusher with 60 career carries for 388 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) and seven touchdowns. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Around the same time Atkinson III was showing his straightaway velocity on the track, a slightly different type of speed was getting settled in on campus. Amir Carlisle ran for 5,108 yards in his four years at Kings Academy in Santa Clara, Calif., about 30 minutes south of where the Atkinsons raced in the park. At a shade less than 5-10 and 185 pounds, Carlisle doesn't have the classic sprinter's build like his backfield partner. He survives on shifty quickness to create the speed he needs. "He's got a burst to him when he's running," said Tony Alford, Notre Dame's running backs coach. "He's able to accelerate from a standstill position and turn and burst off of a cut." Alford didn't get a chance to see that burst in person until this spring. Carlisle watched Atkinson III's 96-yard touchdown return in 2011 from the opposite sideline. He didn't play against the Irish, but ran for 118 yards on 19 carries for the USC Trojans in his freshman season. He transferred to Notre Dame that spring, but broke his ankle shortly after arriving in South Bend and needed almost a full year to nurse it back to health. A broken collarbone in April slowed Carlisle again. He didn't play in the Blue-Gold Game, but is expected to be ready to play again in fall camp. Carlisle and Atkinson III have different styles, but their roots are the same. Like Atkinson III, Carlisle's burst was passed down through the family tree. His father, Duane, owns the triple jump record at Boston University and is second on the all-time chart in the event at Maryland, where he transferred and eventually became an All-American with his leaping ability. Carlisle and Atkinson III have enough athleticism to become a prolific rushing duo for Notre Dame during the next two seasons. To get there, they will have to complete the process of turning that raw burst and track speed into football speed. "You can have a great skill set and do a lot of things at a high rate of speed and do them well, but how do you perfect it?" Alford said. "Anybody can just go run. In anything you do there's a skill set that comes with it. It's about perfecting and hopefully honing in on those real finite skills." For Alford that means delving into details. It means knowing that the aiming point on a particular run play isn't near the tight end, but six inches off of his inside leg. It's knowing where each back needs to put his eyes and what progression they need to follow to get him where he's going. It's speaking the language and understanding why that's important, rather than just relying on seeing green grass and leaving opponents in the dust. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 44-47.Speed Feature.indd 45 ! 45 6/25/13 10:56 AM