Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
30 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW to be part of the running game, and the run- ning game will be as effective as him being one of the options that we have. "We've moved forward with the similar approach to the spring, to our OTAs [orga- nized team activities in the summer], and we'll continue to do that going into the pre- season." For most of last year's top-10 finishers, the dual-threat quarterbacks stayed healthy overall: • National champ Ohio State's J.T. Barrett rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns before a season-ending injury, but Cardale Jones still helped the Buckeyes to the Prom- ised Land with 296 rushing yards while starting the final three games. • Oregon Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota rushed for 770 yards, 5.7 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns while leading the Ducks to the national championship game. • No. 3 TCU had another dual threat at QB in Trevone Boykin, whose 707 rushing yards averaged 4.7 yards per carry. • Orange Bowl winner Georgia Tech saw Justin Thomas rush for 1,086 yards in the triple option, and it defeated No. 7-ranked Mississippi State, whose Dak Prescott (986 rushing yards, 4.7 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns) provided a dual threat. • Even Alabama, more of a pro-style team, saw Blake Sims rush for 350 yards (more than Golson) while winning the SEC last year. More than ever, today's college football teams with the myriad spread schemes are relying on their quarterbacks to do some leg work, not just stand back and throw. Back To The Future? According to 1987-89 Notre Dame start- ing quarterback Rice, any football player or team that lives in fear of injury should not step on the field. The greatest running quarterback ever at Notre Dame while leading a school record 23-game winning streak in 1988-89, Rice rushed for more than 2,000 yards during his career while averaging five yards per carry and tallying 23 touchdowns. "Coach [Lou] Holtz never brought up any- thing to me as far as how many times to run the ball or save your body," Rice said. "When your number was called, you just had to be ready. "Not all plays go exactly the way they're designed. Sometimes you may run the ball out of the pocket to make some yards. There is no way to prepare for it. It's football, and Jarious Jackson was Notre Dame's starting quarterback in 1998 and 1999, and totaled 917 yards and 11 touchdowns on 265 rushing attempts in those two seasons. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Tony Rice rushed for more than 2,000 yards at Notre Dame from 1987-89 while displaying remark- able durability. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS