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Against the four ranked Power 5 opponents that Notre Dame faced this season - ND averaged just 126 rushing yards. Notre Dame returned four starting offensive linemen in 2019. The two best teams Notre Dame faced this year were Georgia and Michigan - Notre Dame rushed for just 103 combined yards and averaged just 2.5 yards per rush.

Notre Dame didn’t even try to run the ball against Georgia, with the Irish backs carrying the ball just nine times. Notre Dame either had a lead, was tied, or was within one score for 50 minutes against the Bulldogs, but Notre Dame couldn't run the ball.

Michigan was another. There was a rain storm that night, which would seem like a great time to run the ball, but Notre Dame averaged just 2.0 yards per rush. Another big game where the run game was needed, and another game where Notre Dame failed to run the ball.

Not being able to run the ball effectively against top opponents has been a common problem the last two seasons. Notre Dame faced five Top 40 run defenses this season, and in those contests the Irish averaged just 100.0 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. The last two seasons are the worst during the Kelly tenure from a yards per carry standpoint. That level of production is unacceptable for an offense that can put the talent on the field that Notre Dame can. Notre Dame had the size, talent and experience to be a really good line this season, but from the beginning of the season the unit was far too erratic. It had some bright moments (USC, Duke), but for the most part it relied on being talented, with technique often lacking. It is also a far cry from where the unit was the previous two seasons. In 2016-17, Notre Dame averaged 184.0 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per rush against Top 40 run defenses.

There were far too many excuses made for the lack of production from the line the last two seasons. Inexperience is a poor excuse, as is using injuries. The 2019 line underachieved long before Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey went down with injuries. Notre Dame lacks the talent at running back of other top teams, but the backfield is good enough for the run game to have been much better than it was this season. The inability to run the ball against the better defenses places the offense well behind other top programs that are competing for championships.

While its admirable that Notre Dame’s offensive line protected relatively well in the pass game this season, good coaches get their lines to play well in both areas. Notre Dame’s run game struggles this season weren’t about talent, they were about a line that doesn’t play with the necessary force or technique needed. Far too often the Irish line looked unprepared to handle the line games that defenses were throwing at the unit, and rarely were they able to adjust on the fly. Instead of using their size and talent to their advantage, far too frequently the line caught defenders instead of coming off the ball with force. Combo blocks often struggled to get to the second level in those games, another technique issue, and the offside penalties were ridiculous.

A good chunk of Notre Dame’s rushing yards also came from quarterback scrambles in the pass game. Against Stanford, for example, There was a lot of smoke and mirrors to the run game success this season, and those types of runs rarely work against better run defenses, which explains why the offense failed to move the ball on the ground against the better teams on the schedule.

Simply put, Notre Dame’s run game needs to get a lot better. For that to happen, the play of the offensive line must get a lot better. For that to happen, the unit must be coached much better than it has the last two seasons. Until changes are made, changes beyond just "coaching a little better" or "playing a little harder," the Irish will continue to fall short of how good it should be on offense. Notre Dame will return all five starting linemen in 2020, and it will have plenty of skill talent coming back, If the line plays to its potential the 2020 offense could be elite, but if the line doesn't play to its potential the Irish will once again fall short.