Sept. 04--SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Four score and 11 years ago, the fabled "Four Horsemen" roamed Notre Dame's backfield.
Ninety-one seasons later, the No. 11 Irish enter Saturday's season opener against unranked Texas more a one-trick pony in that department.
Greg Bryant vanished from campus in early August under the cloud of an academic suspension, leaving junior Tarean Folston as the lone back with any experience of consequence.
Sure, C.J Prosise averaged 12.6 yards per carry last season, but that occurred on just 10 attempts when his listed position was wide receiver. Not to mention, an injury to his hip hamstrung Prosise's learning curve for 10 days of camp this summer.
Still, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly defended his backfield, saying Prosise has "home-run ability" and Folston will be a "feature back."
"Many could argue with the depth of it," Kelly said. "But we have an established running back in Tarean Folston. ... He struggled at times, but later in the year he showed himself to be very strong in our protection."
Kelly said he is "cautiously optimistic" the 5-foot-91/2, 214-pound Folston will continue to improve and added he is happy with Prosise's progress.
Folston struggled to pinpoint why he struggled early last year. He struggled to pinpoint why later he didn't.
His 42 carries for 165 yards and zero touchdowns during Notre Dame's first five games might as well have been 91 seasons ago in his mind. Same with the 133 carries for 724 yards and six touchdowns he etched into his stat line during the final eight games.
"I don't know what it was, but it happened," he said. "I just started rushing for more and more yards, getting more and more carries. I'm trying to start this season the same way I did toward the middle of (last) season."
Folston didn't bother to dig for words to describe what he has to prove beginning Saturday.
"You're going to see; that's all I've got to say," he said.
The Irish will need to see it if their hopes of qualifying for the College Football Playoff are to remain viable. And Folston can't do it as a one-man show.
Six times in a 32-word sentence, Folston used the word "strong" to describe the running back unit. He said he has improved his pass protection. He called Prosise a "freak athlete."
"C.J. does everything like a running back," Folston said. "He just made the switch ... and I feel like he's a complete back right now."
Prosise, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior, said the two have worked well together during camp, have learned a lot from each other while fighting for reps, acting simultaneously as friends and rivals.
Running back wasn't necessarily in the plans for Prosise, who thought he would be more of a fill-in than second on the depth chart.
"Once I (found) out about the Greg thing ... I had in my head I was going to get a lot of reps at running back," said Prosise, who didn't play the position much high school. "Running-wise, it feels natural."
Just like football feels natural to Folston, whose father, James Folston, was an NFL linebacker for seven seasons with the Raiders and Cardinals after being picked in the second round of the 1994 draft.
Freshmen Dexter Williams and Josh Adams could spell Folston and Prosise from time to time. And quarterback Malik Zaire will contribute in the running game.
But Folston remains the main running man in Kelly's eyes.
"I'm a big fan of Tarean Folston," Kelly said. "Maybe I have a higher expectation of him at times than he does of himself. That's where we continue to communicate on a day-to-day basis, that I think there's so much more out there for him."
He just has to run and find it.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
