Notre Dame football has a new darling- a white tailback named Cam McDaniel. Yes, Notre Dame football’s best running back is Caucasian while Notre Dame basketball’s best player this season will be African-American (Jerian Grant). Yes, things are turned upside down in South Bend.
(Think about that: Gody, Abro, Hansbrough, Cooley- it’s been awhile since ND hoops hasn’t had a white boy front as their hardwood poster child)
But while Tommy Rees is the best current Notre Dame football player in 2013 (yes, in spite of his ugly 14-34 for 142 performance versus Michigan State) and WRs DaVaris Daniels and T.J. Jones, both offspring of NFL players, have been more productive, Cam McDaniel is the new cult hero for Notre Dame football.
Brian Kelly has gone with a tailback by committee approach of Amir Carlisle, McDaniel and George Atkinson III. But McDaniel is the cult hero. Even GA3 is much more talented and has gaudier stats. McDaniels say all the right things a college football program likes to hear. He always gives the cliche answers of thanking his teammates and never taking any credit for himself.
While everyone remembers McDaniel as the ND hero from this past weekend, it’s the Offensive Line that won the game for ND on Saturday. The unsung heroes of Notre Dame football, the big uglies went against a Michigan State unit that was supposed to be dominant, and it was the Irish that pushed them around.
“By and large, we’re continuing to evolve offensively up front,” Brian Kelly said after the game.
“But with Ronnie Stanley, obviously Nick Martin as first time starters, those guys are making progress for us. We’re getting strong play from the left side with Watt and Martin each and every day. And Lombard continues to play consistent for us.”
Cam McDaniel is getting the glory, while the big boys up front do the work. And they’ll have to do extra work now in a schedule that will see #13 Oklahoma, #23 Arizona State and USC in the next three weeks. Don’t expect Notre Dame football to emerge from that stretch still nationally ranked.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan and 1620 The Zone, he also writes for Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and Facebook