Opposite ends of the country: One's SoCal, the other's Jersey. One's got a constant jabber going on. The other's measured. One hits the hole like a freight train. The other's elusive.

One came to the Notre Dame football team with a hype-loaded bio. The other, not so much. The two Irish freshman running backs are certainly not clones.

One is Cierre Wood, a 6-foot, 218-pound bruiser of a back who comes from Oxnard, Calif., as the nation's 10th best player overall and second-best running back, according to Sporting News.

The other is Theo Riddick, a chiseled 5-10, 195-pounder from Manville, N.J., who didn't crack the national Top 200 list and was only the seventh-best player in New Jersey.

They're the rookie version of the Irish odd couple -- roommates through preseason camp who formed a bond.

"Theo doesn't talk in front of the coaches," said Wood, who insisted Riddick can chat with the best of 'em.

"The other day, we got into an argument about the window that lasted for about an hour. He said I left it open. I said I didn't. We kept going back and forth."

Riddick, obviously, doesn't like a chill.

"I'm more conservative," Riddick said, with a smile that comes easily. "Cierre never stops talking."

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said the two have made for a tough situation for him and running backs coach Tony Alford. Toss them in with veterans Armando Allen, Robert Hughes and Jonas Gray and playing time will be precious.

"I think one or both could see the field," Weis predicted.

Last spring, in a moment of absentee bravado, Wood said from his California home, "These guys (veteran ND backs) have been there two and three years. I don't want to say I'm better, but I do bring more cards to the table."

The other day, Wood said, "I just want to get on the bus."

Sounds like a guy who had the dream to drive the bus, before being issued a chauffeurs' license.

Reality came calling quickly once practice started.

"When we were first on the field, all that yellin' and stuff, I thought, this man (Alford) is gonna have a heart attack," Wood recalled. "It was a nonstop yellfest."

Likely, they were probably just loud words laced with love and encouragement -- right?

"I want them to show me they can score touchdowns," Alford said.

A simple end to a long process.

"The biggest thing at this position, you've gotta make plays and you've gotta be consistent every day. It's about the way you handle your business and the way you work."

Weis and Alford agreed that both of the first-year guys would be ready to run the ball on a big-time stage.

"As a ballcarrier, those guys walked in the door ready to go," Weis said.

"The contract in high school is: Pitch it to me and let me run," Alford said.

What separates the men from the boys, the players from the watchers, is the ability to block.

"It all comes down to being a complete player," Alford said.

"(Learning pass protection) is an ongoing process," Weis said. "Both of them are best with the ball in their hands. Understand, that's not what happens on every play. Neither one of them is afraid of picking up the blitz."

"I'm a hard worker," Riddick said. "God gave me a gift to play a game. You can go different ways with it. I work very hard."

"I'm learning to unleash my body," Wood said. "I have plays where I'm conservative because I have to think too much. I'll get to the point when I can cut my body loose."

Whether it's one or the other, the challenge is the same.