Notre Dame Running Game Revival | Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football News

Notre Dame made a thunderous statement in their 2026 opener, dismantling Wisconsin 41-13 with a second-half explosion powered by emerging running backs Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. After losing star rushers Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL, the coaching staff leaned hard on the duo — and they delivered: Williams racked up 72 of his 90 rushing yards and two TDs in the second half, while James added a 28-yard touchdown pass. The defense sealed it with a pick-six, turning a sluggish first half (just 29 rushing yards) into a dominant performance. Head coach Marcus Freeman praised the committee approach, calling Williams and James exactly the backs he envisioned. With Rice looming next, Notre Dame’s ground game is clearly the future — and it’s looking mighty bright. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/11b1b9cfb0bea8d3