Running backs for Notre Dame ought to play a bigger role in the pass game.
Notre Dame’s exceptional running back talent should make the group more potent weapons in the throw game.
If Notre Dame hopes to contend for a championship, its passing attack has to become significantly more dynamic. This entails developing an explosive and effective pass game that can inflict harm on any opponent, not simply the ones the Irish can outshine.
There are many different dynamic pass attacks that approach the situation in different ways, therefore how you get there can also vary. Building around a certain talent is crucial for Notre Dame, and their 2024 team features a depth chart at running back that adds special value to their pass game.
They might have a significant effect if Notre Dame is prepared to modify its pass game and include them more in the offence. I couldn’t help but think about Notre Dame’s 2024 squad and how valuable the Irish backs may be in the pass game while I watched the Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Divisional Playoff game.
During the run game in that game, the Buccaneers and Lions each targeted their backs. I observed well-executed screens, efficient checkdowns, and downfield routes that gave them space to move. With a screen pass to the house late in the third quarter, Tampa Bay back Rachaad White tied the score at 17–17. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions set up two touchdowns: he beat a TB linebacker on an angle route, which resulted in a 20-yard gain, and he did so again with a screen pass.
Together, the backs on both sides gained 108 receiving yards and 13 catches on 15 targets, or 8.3 yards per grab and 7.2 yards per target. Since all of the throws in that specific game were short, a large portion of their output was an extension of the run game, which results in an amazing efficiency number.
Both clubs’ usage of their backs, as well as Kyle Shanahan’s usage of Christian McCaffrey with the San Francisco 49ers, are potential sources of insight for Notre Dame.
