Greg Bryant broke into the backfield rotation at USC, probably for good.
For that, Notre Dame’s other sophomore running back points to his punt return against Louisville a week earlier. That 61-yard sprint down the Irish sideline nearly scored. And for all intents and purposes it did for Bryant, who’d been looking to prove he belonged on the field since he arrived in South Bend a year ago.
“That was a big moment for me,” Bryant said. “It was sort of all right, I ain’t trying to sit back no more, I’m trying to ball out. I ain’t trying to just be on the sideline. I’m trying to be a key player.”
Bryant will be one next season simply by sticking around. But for the former five-star recruit, the goal is much more than being a complement to classmate Tarean Folston, who led Notre Dame with 154 carries and 816 yards this season. Bryant was the team’s second-leading rusher with 52 carries for 287 yards and three scores. He posted seven carries for 79 yards and a touchdown in the blowout loss at USC.
The Irish lose captain Cam McDaniel after the season and have just one running back committed in three-star prospect Josh Adams. And even if there’s a late All-American addition on the recruiting front, Notre Dame’s ground game figures to be almost exclusively Folston and Bryant next season.
“I think what (USC) does more than anything is give him more confidence knowing that I can be a really big contributor here,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “We felt that was the case.”
Bryant always did too, but his sophomore season never showed that at running back until Thanksgiving weekend. Knee tendonitis triggered a medical red-shirt during his first season and a high ankle sprain suffered at Florida State slowed his second. In games against Florida State, Navy, Arizona State, Northwestern and Louisville, Bryant combined for just two carries.
“I feel like I had an OK season,” Bryant said. “OK. Not spectacular, just OK. My first year playing, red-shirt freshman year, it was an OK season. I can’t go nothing but up from here, that’s how I feel.”
Next week against LSU could be a bridge to next season when Notre Dame faces a good but not elite rush defense from the SEC. The Tigers allow 4.21 yards per carry, which ranks 60th nationally, 15 spots below the Irish.
“I feel like either way I’m gonna make myself noticed, practice or the game. It’s just a matter of getting opportunities, going in and showing them,” Bryant said. “You can go hard in practice, but if you don’t go in the game and do the same thing, it don’t matter.
“Coming into LSU, I’m just ready to take off.”
Kelly agrees, although Bryant’s step forward won’t mean a step back in work for Folston.
“(Bryant) has worked really hard. He’s gonna be a contributor. He’ll play against LSU and contribute,” Kelly said. “But Tarean’s body of work has probably been more consistent. But I really love Greg. He’s just a freshman, it’s just his first year of competition. He’s got a bright future and a lot of football ahead of him.”
