Brian Kelly says Everett Golson's running game impact dictated by defensive looks

Through three games, no Notre Dame player has over 30 carries, yet four players have at least 22 carries. QB Everett Golson is one of those players.

Golson has 29 carries, the second most on the team. (In college, sacks are worked in to rushing totals.) Against Purdue in Notre Dame's last game, Golson was the team's leading rusher, both in terms of carries and yardage. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says that Golson is getting the opportunities because teams are spreading out to defend the Irish's offense.

"No, I mean, it's pretty clear the way teams are playing us," Kelly said. "We're getting a lot of six for five, six defenders for five blockers, and your quarterback has to be involved in the run game. So if we're going to stay in our detached spread sets, the quarterback is going to have to be involved in the run game.

So there's probably four or five of those runs that should have been passes, and there should have been four or five hand offs that should have been runs. So we need to get better in the option game with Everett, as well. So he'll still be central to what we do in the running game."

The clarity in defending the Notre Dame passing game is a compliment to Golson. In 2012, he completed less than 59 percent of his passes for just over 2,400 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Through three games in 2014, his completion percentage is near 65 percent and he's already thrown seven touchdowns. His yardage totals are on pace to improve as well.

If Golson continues to lead the Irish in rushing attempts and yardage, it likely means that teams are paying much more attention to how his arm can beat them.

The increased efficiency through the air means that Notre Dame doesn't have to run as much as it did during the 2012 BCS Championship Game-appearing season. Though Kelly obviously doesn't want the decrease in quantity to affect the quality.

While Notre Dame has spread the carries around this season, Greg Bryant is the Irish's leading rusher with 119 yards on 22 carries. With the exception of Malik Zaire, who has four carries, Bryant is the only Notre Dame player to average over five yards a carry in the games against Rice, Michigan and Purdue.

"Oh, it's a different team," Kelly said. "We were trying to protect a young quarterback. We knew we had to run the football. We're much more of a spread offense where our running game can be dictated by what defenses do. Where in 2012, we ran with a lot of two tight ends, and it didn't matter what you did defensively; we were going to run the football"

"That doesn't mean we cannot run or should not run for 200 yards as an average. And I think in the original question that was asked, one of the things from an offensive perspective that we've got to get better at is running the football, even in our detached sets."

From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Brian Kelly says Everett Golson's running game impact dictated by defensive looks