Audric Estime is the power source of motivational 'ooze' in Notre Dame football blockers

SOUTH BEND — Audric Estimé, the nation’s leading rusher heading into Saturday night against Ohio State, has a highly motivated group of blockers in front of him for Notre Dame football.

It’s not just because the sixth-ranked Buckeyes limited him to 21 yards on nine carries in last year’s 21-10 Ohio State win in the season opener. It’s also about how Estimé has bulldozed his way to 521 rushing yards and a per-carry average of 8.3 yards.

“He runs so frickin’ hard and he wants it so bad,” All-America left tackle Joe Alt said. “It kind of oozes into the offensive line and oozes (into) us to want to work harder and be better and make those holes for him."

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Having surged into the pole position for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation’s top running back, Estimé has tied and then set a new personal high for rushing yards (176) the past two weeks. His 95-yard rushing day against Navy in the opener was hampered by a first-quarter fumble that saw him effectively benched for the final 19 minutes of the half.

At 6-feet and 227 pounds, Estimé ranks second nationally with 25 missed tackles forced, and he’s averaging 4.7 yards after contact. Last season Estimé forced 41 tackles and averaged 3.7 yards after contact.

“He’s a strong runner but also elusive,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “He can also make the cuts. It’s a real challenge for us to play behind our pads and play downhill because you’re going to have to put your face in the fan.”

Even with a holding call on tight end Holden Staes that wiped out a 72-yard scoring run last week against Central Michigan, Estimé is on pace for nearly 1,700 yards in a 13-game season.

“It’s the running back combined with the offensive line,” Knowles said. “The offensive line is talented. The tackles are excellent. When you have an offensive line that works well together and they’re physical and they push at the point of attack, (Estime) is a guy who can get behind that.”

Follow Notre Dame football writer Mike Berardino on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football linemen draw motivation from Audric Estime