“I was just out of breath. I was gassed.”
The usually calm demeanor of Jeremiyah Love was on full display during his postgame press conference following Notre Dame’s 27-17 win over Indiana on Friday night. Despite a lingering leg injury suffered in the season finale at USC, as well as an illness that developed throughout game week, the star running back from St. Louis continued his dominant sophomore campaign to carry the Irish offense into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
After a hectic opening five minutes of the first-ever on-campus college football postseason game, which included interceptions from both quarterbacks, Love took matters into his own hands by breaking off one of the longest runs in the storied history of Notre Dame football. Backed up inside his own two-yard line following graduate safety Xavier Watts’ sixth interception of the season, Love took an inside handoff from senior quarterback Riley Leonard and burst through a massive crease for a 98-yard touchdown to ignite the sold-out crowd at Notre Dame Stadium into a frenzy.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was in awe of Love, saying postgame, “He is the engine that sparks this thing to go in the right direction. Every week he seems to find a way to make an explosive play.”
Denbrock, who returned to Notre Dame from LSU this past offseason, recognized the entire operation that led to Love’s touchdown, as well as the unit’s stellar performance from start to finish.
“The guys understood the call and did a nice job executing, and there goes 4. [Freshman left tackle] Anthonie Knapp did an unbelievable job. I thought the tight ends did a nice job of wiping out the front side of it. We did a good job of building a wall on the backside, which is something we spent a lot of time working on over the course of the last two weeks, and if you give this guy an inch, he’s going to take a mile.”
After Knapp and the line cleared the front seven for Love, graduate receiver Beaux Collins held a key block in the second level which allowed Love to rumble on to open the scoring. Love seemed to be running out of gas as he reached the end zone, but in his own words, “He wasn’t going to catch me. I slowed down. I knew I was going to score.”
Leonard, who has paired with Love to create the most potent rushing backfield in the country, also knew he wouldn’t be caught, stating, “Once he creased the gap, I just headed to the sideline because I knew he was gone.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman, who has preached toughness since taking the reins of the program back in 2021, lauded his back’s ability to fight through adversity.
“We know he's not 100 percent. We’re just going to keep getting him healthy. But he showed on that play whatever percent he is, once he breaks through that third level, it’s hard to catch Jeremiyah Love,” Freeman said.
Love left all he had on the field, battling for his teammates, and for what he described as a special Notre Dame fanbase.
“I came into this game battling a few things. I probably sound pretty terrible. But I came off of a little injury. I’m sick. Being able to come into this game and do what I’ve got to do for this team, it was special. I want to do anything for my brothers, to help this team succeed.”
Love, who now has tallied 16 touchdowns and over 1,000 rushing yards on the season, will look to continue his historic campaign on New Year’s Day in New Orleans when the Irish face off with No. 2-seeded Georgia. Love leads the nation with 7.4 yards per carry and has also found the end zone each time out this year, but Kirby Smart’s Bulldog defense presents the biggest challenge the Irish have faced this year. The 2021 and 2022 national champions, who ran through the SEC gauntlet to a 11-2 record, have allowed just 3.8 yards per rush this season.
Something will have to give in the Sugar Bowl, but if any rushing attack can outduel the almighty Georgia Bulldogs, it’s Love and the Irish. Move over Four Horsemen, there’s a new stallion in South Bend.
