Of course ND was 80th in the nation in YPG but they also throw the football. Bob Davie and his Lobos lead the nation last year followed by the Service Academies. What does that tell you? It is a reflection of an offensive philosophy more so than how well a team runs the ball. Total yards rushing is a useless stat as far as I am concerned.
In my opinion, yards per carry is a better indicator of a team's rushing attack. Last year, ND averaged 4.47 per carry and were ranked 62nd. That ain't good but 4.47 a pop is not horrible either. As mentioned by Frank, 2015 was a good year. ND averaged 5.63 YPC and were ranked 8th in the country with that stat.
If ND can increase their YPC to the 5.3 range, they will have an awesome year running the football again. It is not Kool-Aid to state that the Irish have a great O-line and a stable of tip-top backs. The offensive line has four returning starters which boasts two potential first round picks. Not many schools can say that. And maybe I am not a good judge of talent, but Adams and Williams are some bad dudes running the ball. Sit back and watch the show this fall. This ain't last year.
The only thing that can f-ck things up is Kelly. If the great coach from Grand Valley decides to take over the offense, all bets are off. If he lets Long call the plays and select his personnel, the offense should click.