Notre Dame & RB Logan Diggs Focused on Dominating in the Run Game

Notre Dame will take on South Carolina in the Gator Bowl on Friday afternoon and it’s becoming clear the Irish game plan is similar to the regular season finale against the other USC. 

The Irish went to Los Angeles focused on running the football, but the Trojans flipped the script on Notre Dame. In fact, it was USC that ran for over 200 yards and Notre Dame was held to under 100 yards rushing on the night, which not many would have predicted. 

Notre Dame’s running back will once again be key against South Carolina as the Gamecocks are missing key pieces from a defense that gave up 192.4 rushing yards per game this fall. 

“It’s a big opportunity,” stated Notre Dame sophomore running back Logan Diggs. “We sat down, watched film and dissected the defense and they’re a really good defense, but they give up a lot of yards on the ground. We’re really going to try to dial in on that and dominate at the line of scrimmage.”

Running backs coach Deland McCullough picked up right where Lance Taylor left off a year ago and has developed a young, but talented room in a short amount of time.

“We understand our coaching and what we’re being asked to do,” Diggs said. “I feel like we all have the natural athletic ability, but with that coaching from Coach Deland, it’s really taken us to the next level.” 

Diggs followed up an impressive freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign. The Louisiana native has tallied 732 rushing yards and three touchdowns while leading the team in carries (152). 

Where has McCullough helped Diggs the most in the last year? Diggs believes his biggest growth has come away from the field. 

“He’s helped me be more detailed,” explained Diggs. “Taking my natural ability and making me a better student of the game. My football IQ has improved a lot.”

In addition to Diggs, Audric Estime has run for 825 yards and 11 touchdowns while Chris Tyree has added 423 yards and three scores. 

Perhaps the most impressive piece to the puzzle is all the Notre Dame running backs have bought into their roles, which is rare in today’s college football climate. 

“We think we’re the best running back room in the country,” stated Diggs. “We go out every week and try to prove that.” 

When it comes to bowl prep, Diggs believes the Irish offense grew the most by remaining together during the month of December. Several teams have had mass exits to the Transfer Portal and while the Irish certainly had some exits, Diggs is confident in where Notre Dame stands heading into the Gator Bowl. 

“We have continued to stay together in this crazy time right now,” Diggs explained. “The Transfer Portal is crazy. Everybody has mixed emotions. Being able to stay together and be in this as a team is where we probably grew the most.” 

Classmate Tyler Buchner will be back at quarterback for Notre Dame on Friday after he suffered a shoulder injury in week two. Diggs, who had labrum surgery in the spring, is all too familiar with the process of returning from an injury and knows it’s on the other offensive players to keep Buchner safe. 

“He’s going to take some hits, but it’s what we signed up for,” said Diggs. “We signed up to play football. At the end of the day, it’s our job as an offense to protect him and to get him to take the least amount of hits as possible.” 

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