1. Jerome Heavens (1975) — He began the year backing up Browner, and on his first career carry Heavens fumbled. But as the season unfolded, he eclipsed 100 yards rushing four times (still a Notre Dame freshman record). Three of them came in comeback wins against Northwestern, North Carolina and Air Force, and the fourth saw him amass 148 yards — another freshman record that remains — versus Georgia Tech in “The Rudy Game.”
Heavens finished with a team-high 756 yards rushing while averaging a robust 5.9 yards per carry and scoring five times. Furthermore, his emergence enabled the staff to shift Browner to starting strong safety the following season.
2. Darius Walker (2004) — After opening the season with a loss at BYU in which Walker didn’t play, the Irish unleashed him the following week while trailing Michigan — and he responded with a dramatic 115-yard performance on the ground with two touchdowns in a 28-20 victory.
His 786 yards rushing led the team and were more than Heavens in 1975. However, we keep Heavens No. 1 for two reasons. One, Walker moved ahead of Heavens because bowl games were now included, and he had 43 yards on 13 carries in the 38-21 loss to Oregon State in the Insight Bowl. Second, Heavens averaged 5.9 yards per carry to Walker’s 4.2.
3. Autry Denson (1995) — A cornerback at the start of his career, Denson received his “break” after a 17-15 loss to Northwestern to open the season. A miffed head coach Lou Holtz gave Denson an audition at tailback and the rookie responded with nine carries for 72 yards in a hard fought 35-28 win at Purdue the next week — and went on to become Notre Dame’s all-time rushing leader.
Denson finished his freshman year with 695 yards rushing and 5.1 yards per carry, and added 67 yards on 11 carries in the Orange Bowl loss to Florida State. Had bowl game stats been included then, he too would have eclipsed Heavens by six yards.
4. Allen Pinkett (1982) — Although behind two-year starter Phil Carter and future first-round pick Greg Bell at the start of the year, Pinkett became a centerpiece in the latter part of the season. His 76-yard fourth-quarter TD run to help upset No. 1 Pitt, 31-16, is one of the more memorable plays in Notre Dame history, and the following week he returned a kickoff for a score in a loss to Penn State, that year’s national champ. His 532 yards rushing averaged 5.0 yards per carry and included five touchdowns.
5. Randy Kinder (1993)— Junior Lee Becton was a 1,000-yard rusher on the 11-1 team, but Kinder, a USA Today first-team All-American recruit, was a strong complement with his speed, averaging 6.0 yards per carry while rushing for 537 yards. His 70-yard TD run helped erase a 24-17 halftime deficit against Navy.
