Last chance for McDaniel
Notre Dame captain hoping to go out on high note vs. LSU
NASHVILLE — The last practices. The last meetings. The last game. It’s all coming to an end soon for Cam McDaniel.
The senior running back, one of four captains, is preparing to put on the shoulder pads one final time with the Irish. Notre Dame closes the season Tuesday against LSU in the Music City Bowl.
“It’s been bittersweet knowing that my time here is coming to an end. Four years have flashed by my eyes,” McDaniel said. “To think about how fast all that really went. But at the same time knowing it’s going to be a great opportunity ahead. I look forward to what Notre Dame has set me up to be able to do and the connections and relationships I’ve made here are second to none.”
McDaniel is part of a rotation of backs along with Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. McDaniel has 274 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He enters the bowl with 1,113 career rushing yards.
“I feel like we’ve got guys that can make plays. We’ve done that this year,” McDaniel said of the backs. “The running game was great, but in my opinion it could have been even better. I look forward to seeing Greg and Tarean drive and whoever else is coming through here.”
It’s that type of mind-set that has made McDaniel an effective captain.
“It’s been an absolute honor. I love my teammates,” McDaniel said. “To be able to represent those guys and to be able to represent the university has been a great opportunity for me.”
McDaniel has made the most of his opportunities. One of his favorite memories came during the 2012 season at Oklahoma. McDaniel returned four kickoffs for 77 yards in Notre Dame’s 3013 victory.
“Getting to play at Norman, a team that I always kind of loathed every since I was a little kid because I was a Texas fan. Being able to play there was fun,” McDaniel said.
Last year, he had big games in victories over USC and BYU. He rushed for 97 yards against USC and finished with a careerhigh 117 yards against BYU.
McDaniel pointed to this year’s win over Michigan as another highlight. He had a rushing touchdown.
McDaniel hasn’t been as much of a factor in the running game through most of the second half of the season. But he’s eager to play a role to try to help the Irish snap a four-game skid.
“There are some disappointments. Things didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted it to over the last half of the season,” he said. “We are going to do everything that we can to capitalize on this game against LSU.”