SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame offensive line coach Frank Verducci drew the biggest crowd of all the Fighting Irish assistant coaches at media day Friday.
"Usually we're way over in the corner," Verducci joked.
The reason for the crowd was Notre Dame's inability to run the ball in recent seasons. The Irish have posted the three worst rushing seasons in school history, averaging just 109.7 yards a game in going 7-6 last season. And that was a lot better than the 75.3-yard average when the Irish went 3-9 the season before.
Coach Charlie Weis believes the Irish need to establish the run so teams can't focus on stopping the passing attack.
The Irish, who will open the season against Nevada on Sept. 5, were 5-1 last season in games where they rushed for at least 100 yards and 2-5 in games when they rushed for less. They were 0-4 when held to less than 65 yards.
"If you can't run the football effectively and they shut down the pass game, you put yourself behind the eight ball. That's what we've been spending the whole offseason to get to this point, to try to put us in a position where we're not pigeonholed into what we're doing," Weis said.
Weis did a study of last year's Bowl Championship Series teams and found they averaged 4.6 yards per run. The Irish averaged 3.3 yards a carry last year and 2.1 yards the year before. The last time they averaged 4.6 yards a carry was in 1998, when Autry Denson rushed for 1,176 yards.
Since then, the Irish have produced six of the 10 worst rushing seasons in school history.
Despite that, Weis said he's confident the Irish will be better at running the ball. He listed experience as one of the main reasons.
He did some research recently comparing the strength of offensive linemen as freshmen and as fourth- and fifth-year seniors. The linemen were 50 percent stronger as seniors. The Irish will start four seniors on the line this season and have 10 starters back on offense.
"So with that increased playing experience, like you would expect everyone to get bigger, that goes with the territory, your expectations then obviously raise," he said.
The Irish return four of the five starters from last year's offensive line. The only position without a returning starter is left tackle, and Paul Duncan started the season before after missing last year because of hip surgery.
Still, the depth chart released Friday by Weis had some changes. Sophomore Trevor Robinson, who started three games at right tackle last year, is listed as the starter at right guard. Eric Olsen, a starter at left guard last season, is the starting center. Chris Stewart moves from right to left guard.
The question for the Irish is: How can a group of players who have had little success so far suddenly become dominant?
"That's not an easy question to answer," said Verducci, a first-year assistant who is also the running game coordinator.
Verducci said part of the answer might be as simple as the players hearing a different voice from the line coach. He also said it's not the line alone that needs to be better.
"It's a completely collective effort. People think run game and sacks and they think offensive line. But it's all 11 guys," he said.
Weis believes the Irish are deeper at line than in his previous four seasons at Notre Dame, saying it's the first time they can go three deep at every line position.
The key for the Irish is to learn how to adjust to the unexpected, Verducci said.
"I want to teach them football in general well enough that they can connect the dots when those unforeseen things happen. There's a confidence and a poise aspect that goes along with really understanding the game." Verducci said. "Not just knowing assignment football, I don't believe in that."
Verducci said his message to the line has been not to worry about past struggles.
"The biggest thing that I've tried to guard against with them is that it is going to be different," he said. "That it isn't going to be the same old thing. That this story hasn't been written. That's it's up to them to write the story."