Coming off an impressive but losing effort last week against Texas, Notre Dame aimed to get back on track in the Irish home opener, and the football team did just that.
After racking up 444 yards on the offensive side, the 18th-ranked Fighting Irish walked away with a 39-10 victory over the Wolfpack of Nevada. DeShone Kizer – earning the starting role earlier in the week – helped lead the Irish with 156 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
But it was the offensive line and backfield that truly stepped up this week for the Irish, led by Josh Adams. Adams racked up 107 yards, which included a massive 43-yard run. Tarean Folston, Dexter Williams and Kizer added to that backfield production with a touchdown each.
“For all of us, it’s great. When we can all go out there and play as a unit, it just does wonders,” Adams said about the backfield. “It helps us move as an offense and it helps us execute the way we know how. It’s great when you have guys that you can put in there and the offense still moves at that high tempo that we need to move up. So it’s definitely special for all of us to get in there, to get our experience in and dominate as a unit.”
The running backs accounted for 239 yards Saturday.
Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly was impressed with Adams’ production on the field, but said he’d like to keep the rushing unit balanced.
“He’s good. You can call him whatever you want,” Kelly said. “You know, it’s one of those things where Folston had 10 carries, Adams had 10 carries, Williams had 10 carries. You can make the argument ‘should he get 20?'”
Notre Dame stays home next week in game two of a three-game home slate when Michigan State travels to South Bend. The Spartans and Irish are scheduled for a 7:30 P.M. EST kickoff.
“We get 24 hours after we walk into this locker room,” Kelly said about preparation for the Spartans. “We’ll be back at it as coaches a little bit sooner than 24 hours. The players get 24 hours. We’ll get in tomorrow around 10 a.m. We’ll finish up the film. By noontime we’ll be thinking about the physicality of Michigan State and the rivalry that we have, know that that’s going to be a great game.”
