Tarean Folston Injury: Updates on Notre Dame RB's Knee and Recovery

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Tarean Folston suffered a torn ACL in Saturday's season-opening 38-3 win over Texas.

Continue for updates.

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Folston Out for Season with Torn ACL

Sunday, Sept. 6

Michael Bertsch, Notre Dame's director of football media relations, confirmed the news on Folston, which turned Saturday's triumph into something of a Pyrrhic victory for the Fighting Irish to start the 2015 campaign.

Folston was in line to be the surefire starter this year as a junior after splitting time in his first two seasons and making the most of his opportunities therein. He entered Saturday's contest with an average of 5.2 yards per carry and 1,359 career yards rushing.

After Folston registered 19 yards on three attempts, C.J. Prosise replaced him against the Longhorns. The senior is the clear candidate to take over in his absence, and he racked up 98 yards on 20 carries in the Texas game.

NDInsider.com's Tyler James lamented Folston's unfortunate injury situation:

Although Folston brought considerable explosiveness to the backfield, Prosise presents an intriguing blend of skills in his own right. He converted from slot receiver to tailback and caught the program's attention as a standout performer in spring practices.

"C.J.'s as good a player as we've got on the offensive football team right now, in my opinion," Irish receivers coach Mike Denbrock in April said, per CSNChicago.com's JJ Stankevitz. "He's versatile, he could play anywhere we put him."

In addition to possessing uncommon versatility, Prosise boasts deceptive speed at 220 pounds that makes him a playmaker Notre Dame can count on in a variety of ways. A creative offensive mind like coach Brian Kelly can certainly find ways to utilize him effectively.

Freshman Josh Adams came through for Notre Dame on Saturday as well with 49 yards on five rushes and two touchdowns. Perhaps Adams can carve out a role as the primary complement to Prosise—or free up the latter to have more live game reps split out as a receiver.

With Prosise installed as the feature back next to dual-threat quarterback Malik Zaire, the Irish should still present opposing defenses with a host of problems. Folston figures to factor in as a senior, presuming he returns healthy enough with his big-play ability intact.