SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Through six games, C.J. Prosise looks like a natural.
He carved up 129 more yards in Saturday’s 41-24 win over Navy and scored three touchdowns, making him the first Notre Dame running back with multiple triple-TD games since 1992 (Reggie Brooks). At this pace, he’ll enter the month of November with 1,000 yards — he’s already at 779.
But coach Brian Kelly didn’t say Prosise has exceeded expectations since being moved into the backfield from slot receiver before spring practice.
“I think he's still evolving within that role,” Kelly said. "(He) missed a couple protections today. But I think what I like the most about him is he is in that learning curve and he's excited about every single day working towards being a better running back.”
[MORE: In ‘March Madness’ mode, Notre Dame capitalizes on Navy's errors]
Prosise didn’t expect to be a feature back in Notre Dame’s offense when he was moved to a foreign position earlier this year. He was moved in part to give Notre Dame better depth at running back behind Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant, and with Amir Carlisle returning and Torii Hunter Jr. needing to get more touches out of the slot, there was a logjam there.
The decision to move Prosise looked smart when he began impressing during spring practice. It looked brilliant when Greg Bryant was ruled ineligible and subsequently went back to Florida. It became a necessity when Folston tore his ACL in the first quarter of Notre Dame’s first game, and has looked genius ever since.
But there’s still so much Prosise is learning about the position, from how to set up blocks to how to identify blitzers to how to be patient. That’s what Kelly’s getting at in saying he’s still on the learning curve — after all, he’s only six games into being a running back, let alone someone who’s become the focal point of the Irish offense.
[NBC SHOP: Get your Notre Dame gear here]
“He’s a playmaker,” offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley said. “Put the ball in his hands and he’s going to do something good with it.”
Even without a savant-level knowledge of the position, Prosise has succeeded based on a good feel for it and a combination of size and skill that’s made him both tough to tackle and tough to catch. Even when Clemson loaded the box and sold out to stop him on the ground, Prosise still managed to rack up 100 receiving yards in the sloppy conditions in Death Valley last week.
It’s a scary thought for opposing defenses: Notre Dame still thinks Prosise can get better, and he’s built an awfully strong foundation on which to improve.
“It definitely feels natural,” Prosise said. “It feels like a good move for me.”