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The quarterfinals will no doubt be fireworks. As the next set of College Football Playoff games ensues in the coming days, fans are in for plenty of high-level action as the top four seeds finally take the field. One of these teams is Georgia football, which garnered a first-round bye courtesy of an SEC Championship win. That gave them the second seed, and it wasn't long before they found out who they'd be playing against in the Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame football.
In the first round, the Fighting Irish absolutely dismantled Indiana, 27-17, in a game that was more lopsided than what the final score may indicate. At one point, Notre Dame was up by more than three scores. They were just too dominant, and the Hoosiers' late-game rally was far from enough to compensate. One player who contributed significantly to Notre Dame was running back Jeremiyah Love. Tying the school record with a 98-yard touchdown early in the game, Love arguably sparked the continuous scoring that gave his team a huge lead. All in all, the running back finished with 108 total yards on 13.5 yards per carry.
As he lines up in the backfield once again on Wednesday, here are bold predictions on how Love will fare when Notre Dame takes on Georgia.
Jeremiyah Love has another 100-yard game for Notre Dame, scores no less than two touchdowns
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What guarantees another big game from Love? Well, for one, to do what he did against Indiana was quite impressive. Okay, before getting into this, some may argue that since he finished with a total of just 10 yards more than his 98-yard play, the Indiana defense may have gotten his number on the other carries. But still, a 98-yard run against college football's best defense is something to think about. Indiana allows just 80.2 opponent rushing yards per game — leading all FBS teams in that category. Opposing running backs also average 2.7 yards per carry against the Hoosiers, further highlighting how Indiana's defensive front has a knack for shutting down teams on the ground.
So if Love managed to do that against Indiana, imagine what he can do against a Georgia squad that allows foes an average of 127.8 rushing yards. Defense isn't really the Bulldogs' identity. Among all SEC teams, they're near the middle of the pack not just in run defense (7th), but in pass defense (9th) and points allowed per game (7th) as well, per ESPN.
While Georgia did shut Texas' run game down during the SEC championship, some of their previous outings still raise questions. During the historic 8OT win over Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs allowed Haynes King to run for 110 yards and three touchdowns, giving up 260 rushing yards all in all. A week earlier, Georgia blew out Massachusets but the Minutemen still garnered 226 rushing yards. And during the week before that, Georgia — despite winning by two scores — allowed Tennessee RB Dylan Simpson a 100-yard game.
It also helps that Jeremiyah Love is on a hot streak. Through Notre Dame's last four games, the sophomore has tallied a total of 474 rushing yards and six touchdowns, along with three 100-rushing-yard performances as well. Additionally, Love has yet to be scoreless this season, finding the endzone in all of Notre Dame's 13 games. There's plenty of momentum on his side, and there's hardly a reason why he won't show out this coming Wednesday.
