Thunder and Lightning
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
June 20, 2000

Notre Dame, Ind - Notre Dame finds itself in a very desirable position at tailback with the 2000 season approaching.  Who is going to start?  And maybe more importantly how are we going to divide the carries up.   With three tailbacks who are all capable of starting for a division 1 team the Irish face a dilemma.  In the eyes of the fans however, its really only a two horse race between Tony "Thunder" Fisher and Julius "Lightning" Jones.

While the two haven't been called Thunder and Lightning as Ricky Watters and Charlie Garner were for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones and Fisher share many similarities between the two former Eagles.  Like Watters (a former Irish running back himself), Fisher is a bruising back who will get the extra yard at the end of the run.  Like Garner (now with the 49ers), Jones is a flashy back who can explode to the whole and blow right by defenders.  I personally like to think Jones has more talent than Garner however.

Who will start though?  Does Bob Davie go with the power back in Fisher, or does he go with the speedy Jones?  Most Notre Dame fans think Jones is too talented to not start, but on the other hand Fisher was the starter in 1999 and averaged 5.0 yards a carry and had the longest run of the year (55 yards).

The solution will most likely be a running back by committee.  Jones is the most explosive person on the team at this point and needs to be in the game and Fisher is an excellent receiver out of the back field and gives the Irish a power running back and a good blocking running back.  Fisher won't be merely a third down back however.  Davie will most likely just go with one or the other from drive to drive and substitute in when either back is more capable given a certain situation.  For example, if Jones is in the game and the Irish get a 3rd and 1, look for Fisher in the game or if Fisher is in and the Irish face a 2nd and 15 its very possible Jones will get the call.

Whatever Bob Davie decides to do, all three need to get in the game.  Let's not forget that Terrence Howard's nickname was slash coming out of high school because of his cuts.  Jones and Fisher though each need to see time early to get into the flow of the game since getting all jacked up for the beginning of the game and then sitting on the bench for a quarter or so is normally not good and reduces production.

The 2000 Irish backfield will be the most talented one since Reggie Brooks and Jerome Betties suited up for the Irish in 1992 and simply dominated.  Reggie Brooks is also not that different than Julius Jones.  Both make a lot of people miss and have breakaway speed.  Fisher too resembles Bettis in that he is a bruiser, however he is no where near Bettis status yet since Jerome could simply move a pile and come out the other side with 11 defenders behind him - remember the 92 Sugar Bowl against Florida?

The backfield should be one of the strengths of the Irish offense in 2000.  With an experienced and talented offensive line in 2000, the Irish troubles of 1999 could be far behind them.  If the Irish can establish a strong running game between the tackles, it will force defenses to focus on the middle which opens up the triple option with Arnaz and when Arnaz is running the option he is at his best.

Maybe its the fact that the season is still 2 1/2 months away and that every off season I over rated Notre Dame's talent, but I for one am becoming very optimistic for this season.  There will be many hurdles, but things are looking up for the Irish who have no where to go but forward.

Click here to chat about this article on the message board