Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love Goes Hulk Mode In Legendary Orange Bowl Comeback

Football is a game of decisions. 

Coaches want to call the right plays and players want to make the right decisions to find success and win football games. 

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love had a decision to make as it related to his health. The sophomore has battled a nagging knee injury over the last month, and Love aggravated it in last week’s Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. 

Entering Thursday’s Sugar Bowl, Love’s status was somewhat in question as he did not have a good week of practice, and there wasn’t a day where he felt like he could be his explosive self leading up to kickoff. 

But he decided to give it a go. 

“Really, not any day,” laughed Love when asked when he felt healthy enough to play. “I kind of just came out and said, ‘f*ck it’ and went out there and played. Whatever happens, happens. I trust in God. I trust in his plan for me. Whatever happens is meant to happen.”

The Notre Dame training staff worked around the clock to get Love to a point where he could even practice, which meant the world to the St. Louis native as it’s all hands on deck.

“I got tons and tons of treatment this past week,” said Love. “I give credit to the medical staff and the training staff. I was able to come back to play this game. They all did their part to help me accelerate my healing process. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of mental prep, as well as trying to trust in my knee. I just had to come out here and do it.” 

In the hours leading up to the game, Love was perhaps the most curious on what he would be able to give.

“The plan was for me to play,” explained Love. “I wasn’t limited at all. That wasn’t the plan going into the game. It was for me to go out there and do my thing and do what I could do. If I can’t do something, then communicate that with my coaches and they’ll take care of me. I went out there, and whatever play was called, I executed it and did what I had to do.”

Notre Dame used Love sparingly throughout the night as he carried 11 times for 45 yards, but his two-yard touchdowns to start the fourth quarter put the Irish up 17-10 and a massive wave of momentum. 

A two-yard touchdown run might not seem impressive, but it might go down as one of the most impressive short gains in Notre Dame history. 

Love broke at least four tackles and one could give him credit for breaking five. Penn State defenders went high and low, while Love found a way to stay up before diving over over the goal line. 

And following the score, Love lost his mind and forgot to do his trademark heart celebration. 

“I don’t know what I was on during that play,” Love said. “I felt like some extra strength. I just wanted to scream and rage. I don’t know what happened on that play. I just felt like the Hulk or something. I wasn’t really thinking about throwing up the heart. It was about expressing the dominance I just asserted over them.”

Effort has never been questioned with Love or his teammates this season, but it was also a play that Marcus Freeman challenged his team to make during Wednesday’s team meeting. 

Freeman, who had just returned from a joint press conference with James Franklin, was a little heated during the meeting and made his message crystal clear to his team. 

“To be the attackers,” Love stated. “We’re not scared of losing. We’re not playing to not lose. We’re playing to win. We’re playing to attack and be the aggressors. That was his message. I’m not going to speak on the head coach, but as a team, we feel like they didn’t respect us. Coming into this game, we wanted to come in and make a statement.” 

Freeman appreciated the response from his star, even if he expected it. 

“It speaks volumes to the heart he has,” Freeman explained. “He gave everything he had to this place. He did not have to play today. Nobody would have batted an eye, but he put team in front of himself and how he felt, and we've got a whole bunch of guys like that in that locker room, and that's why we're in this position.” 

Notre Dame will now play for a national title in 10 days. There have been times when it didn’t seem like the Irish would make the playoffs, much less the final game. There were also times when it didn’t look like Love would be able to suit up. 

Yet, Love and the Irish are going to Atlanta and the adversity has made them all better. 

“I feel like it’s all a blessing,” said Love. “Looking back, I don’t think me or this team would be where we are without those trials and tribulations - injuries and sicknesses and all that type of stuff. Everybody on this team is relentless. I’m playing through injury and played when I was sick. Anybody on this team would do the same thing because we love each other.

“We’ve been in this thing since last January. I love my brothers. I’m going to go out there and do what i have to do no matter how I’m feeling and they would do the same for me.” 

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