Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame Continue to Focus on Preparation
Notre Dame’s rushing attack has missed a beat despite a carousel of offensive coordinators over the last three seasons.
Tommy Rees ran the ball. Gerad Parker ran the ball. And now Mike Denbrock has Notre Dame averaging 214 yards per game on the ground, which is currently No. 19 in the country.
Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love is off to a fast start as he’s rushed for 373 yards and five touchdowns and sits just behind quarterback Riley Leonard’s 376 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Some have called for Love to get more carries, but the St. Louis native isn’t concerned about touches, as his sole focus is on winning football games.
“I don’t really think about my touches too much,” explained Love. “I trust my coach. I trust Coach Deland (McCullough). He’s going to put me in the best position he can. He’s trained all the guys, and he’s taking care of us in his own way.
“I trust his plan for me. If I get the ball, I get the ball, if I don’t, I’m going to help this team in the best way that I can. If they call a play, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
Team over self is how Notre Dame will get the promised land. The Irish have a favorable schedule as it’s far from the SEC gauntlet, but the key to a College Football Playoff run starts with locking in each week and not looking ahead.
Northern Illinois served as a tough reminder, but it could be a blessing in disguise if Notre Dame can learn from it.
“We really want to focus on our preparation before the games,” Love stated. “Making sure we’re focused, blocking out the noise, and just locking in a lot more than we did last year. Not taking any opponent (for granted), not playing to their level and coming out practicing every day trying to be the best we can.”
The highs and lows of college football are drastic. Notre Dame and Alabama have experienced that this year. But great teams respond and that’s what the Irish have done to this point.
“After we lost, guys were not necessarily doubting that we could be a championship team and all of that,” said Love. “Instead of doubting ourselves, we came in, worked, had a chip on our shoulder and practiced better than we ever had every week. We matured from that and handled adversity very well.”
In the offseason, Love added around 20 pounds of good weight, which has benefitted his game. The 6-foot, 206-pounder has drawn the eye of NFL scouts as his 265 yards after contact leads the Irish.
“I can take a lot more hits,” said Love. “The weight has most definitely helped. I can run through people and people are scared to tackle me up high, so they have to go lower and I can hurdle. It helps me last a little bit longer.”
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