Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 NOV. 27, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED It was a rare negative in an oth- erwise solid sophomore season for Jones, who touched the ball just three times for 16 yards in the 33-point loss to the Hurricanes. Overall, Jones rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns in the team's first 10 games. "I expected this year to be big for me, but more in the passing game," he said. "Then I started rushing the ball a lot, and then it just jumped off from there." Jones is part of a top-10 Irish rush- ing attack that also features juniors Josh Adams and Dexter Williams plus sophomore Deon McIntosh, not to mention junior quarterback Bran- don Wimbush. "We all have faith in each other, and we know what one person brings to the game that another can't," Jones said. "There's something different from everybody and a mixed variety. "I don't worry about my carries. I just make the most out of them." He's done exactly that in his sec- ond season in the blue and gold. The 5-11, 225-pounder 's top per- formance came in the 48-37 win over Wake Forest Nov. 4 in which he spelled Adams with 10 carries for 59 yards and a score. "I think I noticed it during the spring in all of our scrimmages and the spring game," Jones said of when he knew the rushing attack would be special. "Our run game was so potent and it was really strong. Coach [and of- fensive coordinator Chip] Long just told us from the get-go that the run game is the reason why we're going to win games." Jones is quick to point out that it all begins up front with the offensive line, which he credits with allowing the Irish to post the nation's No. 2 rushing mark at 6.72 yards per carry through 10 games. "Since spring, the line had a big bond together, and they always click," he said. Jones quipped that the offensive line has been so productive that of- tentimes he finds himself well past the line of scrimmage before he's re- quired to make a defender miss. "It's beautiful, just watching the film and not getting touched until I get like six yards, seven yards down field," he said. "It kind of takes the stress off the running back for mak- ing moves." A high ankle sprain plagued Jones during the first half of the season, and it forced him to miss the 38-18 drubbing of Michigan State Sept. 23 in East Lansing, Mich. He noted how difficult it was to sit for that game when he felt he could suit up, but said that taking a broad perspective to the season has benefited him. "I had to realize the season's very long, so I just sat out," he said. When Jones visited Notre Dame for the first time during junior day, he was surprised by just how much he loved the campus and everything the university had to offer. He was so impressed that he committed to the Irish before heading home. He visited again during the Blue-Gold Game and the 2015 Irish win over USC be- fore enrolling in the fall of 2016. "It was tough for weather pur- poses, but the school part was a no- brainer," he said. "I loved it." Now a sophomore, Jones lives with Adams, who entered the Heisman Trophy picture until the blowout loss at Miami. Whereas Jones can be con- sidered a football junkie that enjoys casually watching games while at home, Adams prefers cartoons and the TV show "Impractical Jokers." "I like watching football games, but Josh brings me back in. It's all right," he said, laughing. "Josh is a calm guy, and he doesn't get a big head or anything. He's still a cool guy to hang out with, and he just focuses on the game." The future is bright for the former three-star prospect, and a larger role might arrive sooner rather than later. With the NFL a strong possibility for Adams after this season, Notre Dame's four-man backfield might soon feature Jones more prominently. Until then, he is waiting patiently. As he has learned this season, some- times unexpected opportunities arise faster than anyone could foresee. ✦ EMERGING TALENT In a breakout sophomore season, running back Tony Jones Jr. has proven to be a reliable option in the Irish backfield Through the first 10 games of the 2017 season, Jones rushed for 210 yards and three scores as part of a dominant Irish ground attack. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA "I expected for this year to be big for me, but more in the passing game. Then I started rushing the ball a lot and then it just jumped off from there." JONES BY ANDREW OWENS I t wasn't the homecoming that sophomore running back Tony Jones Jr. had imagined. In his first game action in the Sunshine State since ar- riving in South Bend in 2016, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native and his teammates saw their dream goal end almost as fast as than a Miami linebacker penetrating the Irish backfield. After 60 minutes, Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes had virtually vanished in a painful trip home for Jones, who estimated he had 15 to 20 family members and friends at Hard Rock Stadium.