SOUTH BEND, IND. ? Darius Walker fought his way through thousands of Notre Dame students who rushed the field after he ran for 115 yards against Michigan and suddenly found himself surrounded by reporters and TV cameras.

“All eyes are on me,” the smiling Walker said, looking around.

Probably more than he realizes.

Walker, a freshman playing in his first game, sparked Notre Dame to the 28-20 victory and got Fighting Irish fans giddy with expectations.

Minutes after the game, the speculation had already begun on whether Walker could break Autry Denson’s school career rushing record of 4,318 yards. The headline in the campus newspaper on Monday read: “Walker, Irish Savior.”

Walker laughed about the attention.

“I’m not worried about that too much. I just try to go out there and do my thing and work hard, and whatever happens, happens,” he said.

Good things seem to happen when Walker is on the field.

Walker has not lost a game he’s played in since the state championship game his freshman year of high school.

He led Buford (Ga.) High to 45 straight victories and three state championships, breaking Herschel Walker’s state record with 46 touchdowns last season.

“He’s the total epitome of what you want a student-athlete to be,” said Dexter Wood, Walker’s high school coach. “He’s a 4.0 student, a great athlete and he has a great work ethic.”

Arts major

Walker, who plans to be a performing arts major, seems to thoroughly enjoy being in the spotlight. He was at ease with reporters after the game last Saturday, saying he grew up a fan of Herschel Walker.

When asked whether he had met the Heisman Trophy winner, Walker said he hadn’t, but he would like to. He then turned to a TV camera and said: “So Herschel, if you’re watching, give me a holler.”

The Georgia great hasn’t given him a holler yet, but a lot of other people have. He’s been flooded by friends and people he’s never met wanting to congratulate him on his two-touchdown performance.

Wood said he isn’t surprised Walker has handled the attention so well.

Performer at heart

“He has a charisma and the gift of communication,” Wood said. “He’s a performer at heart, and whenever the lights come on, he’s going to be at his best.”

He certainly was on last Saturday. He didn’t get his first carry until the first play of the second quarter, a 1-yard run. After just three carries he had 13 yards rushing, two yards more than the Irish had against BYU and 1 yard more than the Irish had in the first quarter against the Wolverines. Other than Walker, Notre Dame has 31 yards on 30 carries.

Irish players said they were a little surprised how well he did.

“I saw some flashes of what he was capable of doing. But honestly, I didn’t know what to expect,” quarterback Brady Quinn said. “He came up big for us.”

Coach Tyrone Willingham said there was no plan going into the game to have Walker carry the ball 31 times. But with Ryan Grant hampered by a left hamstring injury, Walker was the first Irish back able to move the ball.

“I felt all along at some point this year he would have some impact on a football game and this one turned out to be the perfect debut for him and for our football team,” Willingham said.

Willingham said several factors went into his decision not to play Walker at BYU, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

He also wouldn’t say how much Walker will play today against Michigan State (1-1), other than to say Grant, a 1,000-yard rusher two years ago, will start if he’s healthy.

Walker happy, but …

Walker said is happy with that. But he eventually wants to be the featured back at Notre Dame.

“I want to be the all-purpose back who doesn’t have to come out of the game,” he said.

To do that, he has to improve his pass blocking. He was taken out of the game in obvious passing situations against the Wolverines.

Michigan players said after last weekend’s game that they didn’t even know who Walker was.