Blue and Gold Illustrated

June-July 2017

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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60 JUNE/JULY 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI F ormer Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer was selected in the second round of this year's NFL Draft mainly because of his ability to pass and prototype size for the next level. What may have been a little over- looked was that in his two seasons as a starter he produced two of the six highest single-season rushing totals by a Notre Dame quarterback. Successor Brandon Wimbush is considered even more dangerous as a runner. Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly said there won't neces- sarily be many designed runs set up for Wimbush, but pass-run options and getting him out on the perimeter on rollouts will be used to showcase his skill set. Wimbush's defining play in two mop-up game appearances as a 2015 freshman (he was redshirted last year) was a 58-yard touchdown run off the zone read versus UMass. The following is a countdown of the 10 best running threats (not nec- essarily just runners) at quarterback, with a couple of them coming the past three years. Here is the criteria we used to determine the rankings: • How many seasons, or even games, he was a factor as a starter. • Overall impact on team in help- ing it to win. • Production/skill, not just in rush- ing yardage but maneuverability. 10. TERRY HANRATTY (1966-68) Career Stats: 181 carries, 586 yards, 3.2 yards per attempt and 16 TD His 16 rushing scores are fourth by an Irish signal-caller. Running was not his forte, but he was effective on occasion, totaling 124 yards as a sophomore, 183 as a junior and 279 — averaging 5.0 yards per carry — as a senior before getting injured in a practice. 9. EVERETT GOLSON (2012, 2014) Career Stats: 208 carries, 581 yards, 2.6 yards per attempt and 14 TD He was an improviser, at his best when plays broke down and there was chaos. Designed runs were not his forte (after transferring to Florida State, he rushed for minus-35 yards in 2015 before losing his job). During the 12-0 regular season in 2012, though, he did rush for 305 yards, many in crucial situations while scrambling from pressure. 8. RICK MIRER (1989-92) Career Stats: 278 carries, 717 yards, 2.6 yards per attempt and 17 TD The No. 2 overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft often could catch defenses off balance on occasion with his run- ning/option skills. He capped his career with 13 carries for 55 yards in a Cotton Bowl win over 12-0 Texas A&M, and his 17 rushing touch- downs are the third most by an Irish quarterback. 7. CARLYLE HOLIDAY (2001-02) Career Stats: 278 carries, 898 yards, 3.2 yards per attempt and five TD In a Tom Osborne or Lou Holtz option offense, Holiday could have been a Heisman candidate. In 2001, he romped for the third-highest sin- gle-season rushing total by an Irish QB with 666 yards. In consecutive victories against Pitt (19 carries for 122 yards), West Virginia (19 carries for 130 yards), USC (18 carries for RUSHING THE PASSER Brandon Wimbush could be next in the line of top Notre Dame runners at quarterback DeShone Kizer ranks second among Irish quarterbacks with 18 career rushing touchdowns, and he racked up a career-best 143 yards at Temple in 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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