Notre Dame and Louisville will go to battle Saturday with their top running backs neck and neck. If there’s an advantage for Kyren Williams, it’s that he does more when he’s catching passes. A lot of that can be attributed to the great blocking he gets. You can’t ignore the fact that he’s been the Irish’s best offensive weapon through three games, whether he’s receiving a handoff or acting as a receiver.
The Cardinals’ Javian Hawkins has played in one more game, so it makes sense that he would hold the advantage in both rushing attempts and net yards. He’s nearly even with Williams in almost everything else before the drop-off in receiving production. The Cardinals will need him to stay in the game, particularly on the ground since that’s what he’s supposed to do anyway. Though he might have a handful with the Irish’s defense, just like other running backs have had in South Bend so far in 2020, there’s no reason to think he won’t be a factor if he can get to his average numbers.
