Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price didn’t like the bye week.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior wanted to flush the Miami loss from his system, but more than anything, he just wanted to compete.
“As competitors, you’re always anxious to get out there on the field and play, win or lose,” stated Price. “It doesn’t matter. We’re competitors, and we want to get out there every chance we get.
“You don’t really like bye weeks, especially this early on, but I’ll tell you what, that second bye week is going to hit when we’ve played five games straight.”
Urgency has been a word thrown around The Gug since week one and probably even longer than that.
Notre Dame wanted to start the season fast, but now they will lean on the lessons the program learned a year ago following a week two loss.
“What we learned last year there’s a sense of urgency week in and week out,” explained Price. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It gives us confidence early on playing teams like that, playing NFL-caliber guys and playing ranked, top-10 teams.”
Price led all Irish rushers with 45 yards in week one, but he fumbled at the goal line and CJ Carr saved him by recovering it.
It’s not necessarily a concern as Price rarely fumbles, yet he knows it can’t happen.
“It’s part of the game,” Price said. “There’s highs and lows. As a running back, you can’t let the ball touch the ground. That’s a non-negotiable, all across all levels of football. Can’t let it touch the ground, and I have to do a better job of that. Shake it off, go on to the next play, go on to the next week. I have a chance to come back and do better things this week.”
Price has already proven he can make a difference against Texas A&M, breaking free for a 47-yard touchdown in College Station last year. He’s watched that run countless times, looking for ways to do even more.
“I guess as far as my performance last year against A&M, I’ve seen that play over 100 times,” Price stated. “I want to see how I can score a 60-yard touchdown this time instead of 40. That’s my mindset.”
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko had high praise for Price and Jeremiyah Love as he compared them to the former Georgia tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
Price appreciated the words, but said his focus is performing on the field this weekend.
“We have a lot of respect for Mike Elko and the way he leads his program and his playcalling,” explained Price. “He’s a great defensive mind, so that means a lot. But we’re just going to do what we have to do to go out there and be better than we did last week and hopefully get over 200 yards rushing.”
For that to happen, Notre Dame’s offensive line will need to improve from its week one showing, while Price and Love must deliver both explosive plays and get get the gritty yards when there isn’t a hole.
“Honestly, as a runner, we’re looking for the contact,” said Price. There’s shake and bake and stuff, but if you can get just one guy to touch you or (throw) a shoulder at him just one good time, it just makes you feel better and more confident as the game goes on.”
This week, the Texas native will have the opportunity to play against Texas A&M, a program that didn’t offer him a scholarship coming out of high school.
Price says that is behind him as he’s very content in how his career has turned out.
“As far as Texas schools, A&M was bottom of the list for me with schools,” said Price. “The reason I said it was personal was because they didn’t have as much of an interest in me early on, compared to other Texas schools. But it’s in the past. I’m at the greatest university in the world.”
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