On its own, it was quite an event, the return of a talented running back after a year away, the redemption of a student after a start that had gone awry.
But somewhere along the way, the return morphed into a once-in-a-lifetime moment. because while Julius Jones’ talent always has been obvious, his exalted place in Notre Dame history has taken time to emerge.
Jones will try to round out a remarkable career and stellar season Saturday when he leads the Irish into the Carrier Dome to close out the season at Syracuse.
Both Notre Dame and Syracuse come into the game 5-6. Win or lose, neither team is headed to a bowl game.
Still, there will be drama aplenty because Jones has a chance to break Notre Dame’s single-season rushing record.
Through 11 games, Jones has piled up 1,214 rushing yards, leaving him 224 yards short of breaking the record 1,437 that Vagas Ferguson set in 1979 in an 11-game schedule.
If his own recent history is any guide, the mark isn’t out of Jones’ reach.
Jones has rushed for more than 200 yards a school-record three times this season. In Notre Dame’s 20-14 victory Oct. 11 at Pittsburgh, Jones carried the ball 24 times for 262 yards, breaking Ferguson’s single-game school record of 255 yards set against Georgia Tech in 1978.
Jones has become stronger as the season has progressed. Of his 1,214 yards, 1,062 have come in the last six games.
“He seems to get better and better each day,” Irish coach Tyrone Willingham said. “The commitment Julius made to himself, and the commitment of his family, I think just speaks volumes for him.
“It would have been very easy for Julius to be anywhere, but when he chose to come back, he wanted to come back and complete a goal he had set for himself and a commitment he made to his family.”
Jones had left Notre Dame after his junior year because of academic difficulties, spent a year at Arizona State and applied for readmission to Notre Dame before this season.
Breaking the single-season rushing record, Jones said, would be nice, but it’s not a priority.
“I’m just going to go into this game like every other game, trying to win,” Jones said. “I don’t really think about records. I think if you do that you get off your game.”
Still, he’s pleased and surprised to be where he is.
“I never would have thought I would have the opportunity,” he said. “I never thought I could do it. I’ve been getting more carries, the offensive line, they’ve gotten so much better, as a team we’ve gotten so much better.”
Jones can claim a solid share of the credit for that, Willingham said. The offensive line, which lost four starters to the NFL after last season, began the year sputtering. But as Jones has churned out yards, he has spurred the line to improve their blocking.
“It has been a tremendous plus for them,” Willingham said. “It just raises the energy bar to just a fantastic and unbelievable level because when you see a guy who does almost what you call magical things down the field–he eludes a guy, he runs through a tackle, he keeps his balance when other people would go down–it makes you want to block much more determined.”
Tailback Tony Fisher, a former teammate now with the Green Bay Packers, said Jones’ play is not surprising.
“Julius always has had the talent and he’s doing what he can to carry the team on his back,” Fisher said.
The Irish, in their last game, should enjoy the ride, Willingham said.
“Did I think he was good? Yes. Did I think he was very good? Yes,” Willingham said. “Obviously, the fact that he has three 200-yard rushing games this year, that has never been done before.
“So there are some very positive things and big things that he brings to the table.”
