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Notre Dame football is itching for its first national title victory since 1988. The Fighting Irish have trusted running back Jeremiyah Love to help attempt to end the championship drought. Now, Penn State stands in the way in the College Football Playoffs at the Orange Bowl.
Love and the Irish must scale the Nittany Lions hurdle to return to the national championship game. The sophomore, though, must pull off what Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty couldn't do: Lift his team past Penn State.
The Boise State Broncos 2,600-yard rusher squeaked out 104 yards in the Fiesta Bowl. But PSU rolled to the 31-14 rout in Glendale, Arizona to advance. Love now gets his shot at wearing down a high-powered Nittany Lions defense.
And that leads into our bold predictions for the Notre Dame RB1.
Jeremiyah Love surpasses his yards/carries total from Georgia win
Love delivered a rather forgettable evening on the rushing side. Georgia held him to just 19 yards on six carries.
The Bulldogs brilliantly stacked the box to slow him down. Penn State threw something similar on Jeanty, while also sending up to three defenders to slow down the NCAA's leading rusher. Love, though, dealt with a third quarter injury that limited his usage in the Sugar Bowl.
Notre Dame has bottled the running back's practice reps, per Carter Bahns of 247Sports on Monday. But that'll mean Love has the potential to be fully energized and healthy once Thursday night arrives. That's additionally going to guarantee more than six carries for 19 yards on the night.
Love breaks off a 25+ yard run
Jeanty rumbled to a 26-yard gain despite a frustrating night. Noah Whittington of Oregon was another who broke off a similar run in that distance.
Love is a threat to break loose on a long scamper. That 98-yard zip through Indiana's defense on Dec. 20 is proof.
But Love also has delivered two 60-yard runs and a 76-yarder during the regular season. Penn State can bottle him as much as they can. But Love is capable of erupting for at least one long run.
Notre Dame RB scores once on Penn State
Jeanty struggled finding the end zone. Tyler Crowe wormed his way through the congestion caused by PSU to score the only rushing touchdown on New Year's Eve.
Love is getting the football. Notre Dame receives a fighting chance to win by relying on Love's power and breakaway speed.
But he's going against one of the nation's best red zone defenses. PSU has surrendered only 3.24 points per red zone trip. If ND can get multiple trips inside the PSU 10, we like his chances to cross the end zone once.
Love falls under 100 yards
Think Notre Dame struggling against Georgia's run defense was enough? The Lions present a more stout run defense.
We still need to take into account that Love isn't the healthiest for this game. Jeanty came into State Farm Stadium a lot healthier. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock look bound to monitor Love's touches.
Freeman and Denbrock likely need to mix in quarterback Riley Leonard and his mobility to keep the Nittany Lions on their toes. Leonard can re-position himself for another breakout running game. That said, Love's chances of hitting 100 yards or higher becomes slim.
Notre Dame engages in defensive battle, but Love and Irish fall
This game is a true running back's dream. Two aggressive defenses sharing the field means a heavy emphasis on the running game to wear down one unit.
Penn State, however, established too much momentum on defense in these playoffs. They dismantled a high-powered SMU offense to open the playoffs. PSU then followed by holding Boise State to 14 points. Both opponents came in averaging 36.5 and 39.1 points per game, respectively.
The Big 10 Conference representative brings a deeper backfield in South Beach too. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton combined for 221 yards to take the oxygen out of the Broncos. The combination of the RB duo, and a red hot PSU defense, forces Love and the Irish to take the loss.
