Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love wasn’t about to let anyone catch him. It didn’t matter that he had sustained a knee injury in the second half of the regular season finale against USC and was still not fully healed. Or that he was battling an undisclosed illness.
When Love replaced quarterback Riley Leonard early in Friday night’s game, the sophomore ran between the left guard and offense and walked down the sideline, running past several Indiana defenders for a touchdown. 98 yards. 7 Notre Dame’s 27-17 victory over 10th-seeded Indiana in the first game of the high school football playoffs at Notre Dame Stadium. The Fighting Irish (12-1) won. Their 11th straight and complex match to face second-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals on New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
Love’s landing fueled the longest streak of the year in the Football Bowl Subdivision and the longest streak in a CFP game since the playoffs began in 2014. And it took a herculean effort on the Love component.
“I was out of breath (at the end of the 98-yard dash),” Love said with a laugh. “I was out of breath. “
Love only ran the ball seven more times for 10 yards. Still, his teammates and coaches knew how much he has meant all season and how much he has dealt with in recent weeks.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Love’s landing was “huge” because Leonard had thrown an interception on the first series and the Fighting Irish were at the 2-yard line in a 0-0 game.
“We know (Love’s) not 100%,” said Freeman, who signed a lucrative contract extension earlier this week. “We’re just going to keep getting him healthy. But he showed on that play, at whatever percent he is, once he breaks through that third level, it’s hard to catch Jeremiyah Love.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said: “(Love) is the driving force that keeps this moving in a positive direction. Every week he finds a way to make an explosive play, to get in someone’s way, to run 98 yards. What do you want? It’s kind of a dealer’s choice. I feel honored to have him among us.
Leonard also appreciates love. In his postgame press conference, Leonard wore a T-shirt with Love’s call and a photo and spoke glowingly about Love, who gained 1,057 yards on 142 carries (7. 4 yards consistent with carrying) and 16 touchdowns. He scored one landing in thirteen consecutive. games, setting a record at Notre Dame.
“I’ve got the best view in the house,” Leonard said. “Every time I hand him the ball, I’m just watching like, ‘What’s he going to do now?’ He just continues to impress me. It’s just the little things. It’s that second or third down where he’s stiff arming guys and getting first downs for us. It’s these little plays that might be five yard gains but for anybody else would be a five yard loss. I mean, he’s a freak athlete.”
Leonard added that if he hadn’t been the quarterback, Love likely would have scored several more landings and achieved greater national prominence. Instead, because Leonard is a very talented runner, Denbrock calls him to run the finish line. On Friday, Leonard rushed for 30 yards and a 1-yard landing with 4:50 remaining, setting a Notre Dame quarterback record with his 15th ground landing this season, one more than Brandon Wimbush in 2017.
“I think other people are starting to see how special (love) is,” Leonard said.
On Friday night, the national television audience also had the chance to see Notre Dame perform on a big stage. It is the first time a CFP game has been held at a campus stadium, as the format was replaced this year with the field expanded to 12 groups and 5th through 8th seeds hosting first-round games. Since losing to Northern Illinois in early September, Notre Dame had won the final 10 games of the regular season through more than 30 troubles per game, but had done so despite a weak schedule, leading to some to wonder how ready the Fightings were. The Irish were. the playoffs. They responded with another decisive victory.
During the regular season, Indiana (11-2) ranked second in the country averaging 43. 3 points per game and scored at least 31 points in all two of its games. The exceptions came on Nov. 9 when the Hoosiers beat Michigan 20-15 at home and two weeks later when they lost 38-15 at Ohio State.
On Friday night, the Hoosiers led 27-3 before quarterback Kurtis Rourke touched down for a 2-point conversion with 1:27 left. After the Hoosiers recovered the onside kick, Rourke launched a 23-yard touchdown to make the score respectable.
Indiana gained 278 yards, well below its game-consistent average of 438. 8 yards. Rourke struggled most of the night, adding an interception in the red zone in the first quarter. He finished 20 of 33 for 215 yards, but his numbers were skewed as he completed his final six passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Rourke, a move from Ohio, entered the game completing 70. 4 percent. of his passes for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
When asked about Indiana’s ball movement on its final two possessions, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden didn’t seem too concerned.
“We had the game in control the whole game, so I’m not worried about the end of the game,” Golden said. “There’s things that we can learn from it. Obviously, we’ve got to finish better and I’ve got to make some calls there, but at that point, I didn’t think continuing to show elaborate pressures in that situation was to our benefit, to be quite honest with you. I could have called a better game at the end there for the guys and helped them out.”
On offense, Notre Dame had a balanced attack, attempting 32 passes and rushing 35 times. The Fighting Irish gained 193 rushing yards against an Indiana defense, first in the country, that allowed just 70. 8 rushing yards per game. And kicker Mitch Jeter, who had missed part of his 12 goal attempts in the box and battled injuries this season, scored two of his three goals in the box on Friday, adding a 49-yard goal with seven seconds left in the first. part. -time that gave Notre-Dame the credit 17-3 at half time.
Notre Dame’s next game will take place on January 1 against Georgia, which in recent years has been arguably the most productive program in the country. The Bulldogs won national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons and only lost one game last season. On the season, they lost to Alabama and Ole Miss, but are on a four-game winning streak, including a 22-19 victory two weeks ago over Texas in the SEC Championship Game.
Multiple reports have indicated that Georgia quarterback Carson Beck would possibly miss the Notre Dame game. Still, the Fighting Irish know they will face a tough opponent and it will take an entire team effort to advance.
“You have a lot of good from all three phases tonight,” said Freeman, referring to the offense, defense and special teams. “No one phase was perfect, and that’s what we strive for is perfection. No one phase was perfect, but what happens was when one phase isn’t getting the job done, another phase picks it up. We’ll need that as we continue to move throughout these playoffs.”
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