Best Run in ND History?

[FightingIrish44]

What do you have? Irv Smith’s reception vs Indiana in 1991 comes to mind as well as Reggie Brooks vs Michigan in 1992. I’m still mesmerized by Jeremiah Love’s run vs Penn State. It’s hard to pick between the last two but I’d probably take Love’s. I’m sure there are others I can’t think of.

Also, I’m not sure I’ll ever love a backfield in terms of running the ball as much as I loved Leonard, Love, and Price.

 

[NotreDomer1]

Ray Zellars - 94 against Purdue

 

[Patrish]

What do you have? Irv Smith’s reception vs Indiana in 1991 comes to mind as well as Reggie Brooks vs Michigan in 1992. I’m still mesmerized by Jeremiah Love’s run vs Penn State. It’s hard to pick between the last two but I’d probably take Love’s. I’m sure there are others I can’t think of.

Also, I’m not sure I’ll ever love a backfield in terms of running the ball as much as I loved Leonard, Love, and Price.

Don’t forget to get on the BUS !

 

[deadmanramsey]

Kyren Williams versus North Carolina is the correct answer.

 

[melstew]

Good choices. Some Rocket runs were very special, and Bettis against Gators, but two I will remember most fondly are Tony Rice against USC in 88 and Leonard's 8ish yard power leap run against Georgia that sealed the deal. I was watching the latter in a cruise ship bar with 70% Bulldog fans. And let out a yell/exorcism of 25 years of "you can't beat the big boys" frustration. Neither was the best run athletically but situationally they represented something special and the latter was grit-infused joy.

 

[HDK]

For me, the Zellers run against Purdue is the greatest run I've ever seen by a Notre Dame back. He looked like a bowling ball in search of pins to knock over.

People like to criticize Brian Kelly ad nauseam here, but when he was coaching most of his backs from C.J. Prosise and Josh Adams on starting in 2015 had 80-plus yard runs for TDs. The first was a beautiful counter delay that Prosise took for a 91-yard TD against Georgia Tech in 2015. That run reclaimed the longest TD record in ND Stadium history, which had been held by Denard Robinson of Michigan at 89 yards (I think) since 2010. Prosise's record didn't last long, as Adams blew through a huge hole to go 98 yards for a TD against Wake Forest a few weeks later.

 

[McCallen ND NYC]

All of them are great moments in ND history. 2025 should add more great memories with Love and Price scoring over 20+ times.

 

[Holycrossover3]

I'll go Reggie Brooks in 92 just because I hate Michigan.

An underrated sleeper pick is Sam Hartman's 4th down scramble @Duke to beat Riley Leonard (man it's funny how things work out.)

 

[FightingIrish44]

I'll go Reggie Brooks in 92 just because I hate Michigan.

An underrated sleeper pick is Sam Hartman's 4th down scramble @Duke to beat Riley Leonard (man it's funny how things work out.)

Hartman was outstanding on that last drive.

It’s kind of crazy that ND came so close to being 9-4 again even though the 2023 team was a lot better than the 2022 team. Imagine if they had lost to Duke, then get matched up in a different bowl game and lost the bowl? That’s 8-5. Yikes.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

Kyren Williams versus North Carolina is the correct answer.

That was also one of my favorites, probably because I was at the game. It was a crazy run. Kyren started right, then reversed field and gave a great stiff arm to an AA LB from North Carolina, and was up and gone down the left sideline. Michael Mayer threw a great block and Avery Davis cut off the last NC defender. What I didn't see until I watched a replay of the run was that Davis was behind and trailing Kyren, then just put on the jets to get into a position to cut off the last possible tackler. It was one of those "WHOOSH" plays that Charlie Weis liked to talk about.



Eric Penick's 85y TD vs. USC in 1973 might take the cake, though. It was the biggest play in the biggest game of the year, and was the springboard for ND winning the national championship that year. I was in the student section of the corner of the end zone where Penick scored, and the stadium went absolutely nuts. The cheers started when Penick broke through the line then built into a deafening crescendo when Penick went over the goal line. It literally felt like the entire stadium was shaking. I will never forget that run. What made it sweeter was that it was against our biggest rival: USC. In those days USC vs. ND was always the marquee game of the year. Much bigger than OSU and UM. It was Ara vs. the great John McKay, back in the day when USC was Tailback U. Traveler and the USC song girls vs. the ND leprechaun and, well, you get the picture. Great stuff.

 

[tkirish]

I don’t know. Lots of really great runs over the years. But this one is pretty amazing

 

[savvyandsassier]

I don’t know. Lots of really great runs over the years. But this one is pretty amazing

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That might be the winner.

 

[echowaker]

I don’t know. Lots of really great runs over the years. But this one is pretty amazing

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Yep, that one and the Zellars run against Purdue are my favorites. Really long runs are generally more of a result of really great blocking at the point of attack than anything else. Kyrens run is a rare exception. Love against Indiana was textbook as was Dexter Williams against VA. Tech. Once they cleared the line of scrimmage they were gone. Same with Bettis against Florida. Brooks and Zellars were just amazing effort and determination.

 

[iLOVEtohurdle41]

I have a strong feeling that Love and Price are going have magnificent plays next year.

I can just imagine Love ripping off a nasty long run, and hurdling the last guy remaining for the score.

 

[graceh90]

I can reassure you that there is no recency bias in dubbing this run the greatest. When you consider how big the moment, his injury, the quality of defense….

This was the run of the century

 

[iLOVEtohurdle41]

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I can reassure you that there is no recency bias in dubbing this run the greatest. When you consider how big the moment, his injury, the quality of defense….

This was the run of the century

It was insanely epic my friend. Not really demonstrating the speed of Love, his best feature, but showing everyone the toughness, strength and heart of JLove and this team. Agree this was the most epic play in the biggest moment.

Personally, the most dynamic play for me with Love, was when we had a slow start vs indiana, backed up on our 1 yard line. Concerned....hoping we don't get a safety ...

Then a bullet gets shot out of a sniper rifle. 99 yards to the house untouched vs a top 12 team. That was the start to the playoff run we all witnessed. I was going crazy at the bar I was at lol

 

[NDblitz]

What do you have? Irv Smith’s reception vs Indiana in 1991 comes to mind as well as Reggie Brooks vs Michigan in 1992. I’m still mesmerized by Jeremiah Love’s run vs Penn State. It’s hard to pick between the last two but I’d probably take Love’s. I’m sure there are others I can’t think of.

Also, I’m not sure I’ll ever love a backfield in terms of running the ball as much as I loved Leonard, Love, and Price.

Jeremyah Love vs Penn State. When he moves on that run should be played on a loop in the Football complex for eternity.

 

[Patrish]

It’s nice to have so many great choices

 

[sjb75]

Jeremyah Love vs Penn State. When he moves on that run should be played on a loop in the Football complex for eternity.

Recency bias.

IMO Tony Rice's 65 yard TD run at USC that was key to an undefeated national title was just as good or better.

 

[echowaker]

Recency bias.

IMO Tony Rice's 65 yard TD run at USC that was key to an undefeated national title was just as good or better.

Another play that was perfectly blocked. Rice as always made the proper decision on the option and was gone. I don't think he was even touched.

 

[Irishjohn68]

Rocket returning not one but two kickoffs vs Michigan.

 

[savvyandsassier]

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I can reassure you that there is no recency bias in dubbing this run the greatest. When you consider how big the moment, his injury, the quality of defense….

This was the run of the century

That was indeed an awesome run. Epic run. And it's cool too, a two yard run being an all-time greatest play, must have been a very important, very hard-fought, hard-earned two yards.

 

[Kelso86]

Ray Zellars - 94 against Purdue

62 yards -- still -- a thing of beauty

 

[tbonesays]

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I can reassure you that there is no recency bias in dubbing this run the greatest. When you consider how big the moment, his injury, the quality of defense….

This was the run of the century

I've never seen anything like that. It's hard to count exactly how many defenders should have tackled him. Then two people get him at the 3 yd line and #11 now free from the facemask tries to finish the job. #41 tries to finish but Love just drove anyway.

 

[savvyandsassier]

I've never seen anything like that. It's hard to count exactly how many defenders should have tackled him. Then two people get him at the 3 yd line and #11 now free from the facemask tries to finish the job. #41 tries to finish but Love just drove anyway.

I think runs like that happen all the time, like literally hundreds and hundreds of times a season. But it's usually like, 2nd and 8, exact same run, then it's 3rd and 6, and nobody even says anything, it was just a two yard run and the guy was kind of tough to bring down and it passes without any notice at all. Or maybe it's like 3rd and 2, and the guy slips an initial tackle and then lunges forward in identical fashion for the 1st down and the announcers are duly impressed, but still not that big a deal. And they punt on the next series. Or kick a FG.

So of course the context matters, as they say. But I think we've all seen runs like that numerous times, admittedly in lesser contexts, as impressive and consequential as JL's was.

 

[tbonesays]

I think runs like that happen all the time, like literally hundreds and hundreds of times a season. But it's usually like, 2nd and 8, exact same run, then it's 3rd and 6, and nobody even says anything, it was just a two yard run and the guy was kind of tough to bring down and it passes without any notice at all. Or maybe it's like 3rd and 2, and the guy slips an initial tackle and then lunges forward in identical fashion for the 1st down and the announcers are duly impressed, but still not that big a deal. And they punt on the next series. Or kick a FG.

So of course the context matters, as they say. But I think we've all seen runs like that numerous times, admittedly in lesser contexts, as impressive and consequential as JL's was.

Love didn't slip two individual tackles. After he got out of the first wave he was being tackled by two at once, with two other defenders in position to help and no other white jerseys around.


Since we are doing non-running plays I would nominate Rocket's run back in the Orange Bowl before the phantom clip. Rocket evaded quite few tacklers who were in position, but I suspect he did that most times he got the ball.

 

[savvyandsassier]

Love didn't slip two individual tackles. After he got out of the first wave he was being tackled by two at once, with two other defenders in position to help and no other white jerseys around.


Since we are doing non-running plays I would nominate Rocket's run back in the Orange Bowl before the phantom clip. Rocket evaded quite few tacklers who were in position, but I suspect he did that most times he got the ball.

No, it was a good run for sure. But it was more about how gritty it was, and impactful.

 

[tkirish]

I know this is considered a “ great run “ but I still love it

 

[NotreDomer1]

62 yards -- still -- a thing of beauty

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I meant the year(94), not the yardage (62)

 

[Jersey Domer]

While certainly not the greatest in history, two runs that really stick out to me are McDougal’s 43 yard TD run against Michigan in 1993 and Adrian Jarrell’s reverse TD later that year against FSU. Both set the tone for big wins in a very special year. That Zellars run in 94 against the Boilers or Reggie Brooks getting knocked out at the goal line against Michigan in 92 have to be among the top ones.

 

[tbonesays]

I know this is considered a “ great run “ but I still love it

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Why can't we recruit as well as Southern Cal?

 

[Patrish]

Why can't we recruit as well as Southern Cal?

Since 2017 we’ve dominated USC, winning six times and losing only once !

Where is the Wizard of Oz when you need him?

 

[tbonesays]

 

[wicker]

Thing I remember about Love's run v PSU was how it would energize the D and ND would take over and win by a city block. Very disappointed that didn't happen.