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The Notre Dame football team is set to take on Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, and it's looking like running back Jeremiyah Love will be good to go. Love went down with a knee injury in the third quarter of the Sugar Bowl against Georgia, and he did not return. He is now back at practice and it sounds like he will be good to go on Thursday.
“Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock says running back Jeremiyah Love (knee) practiced the last two days and should be ready Thursday night,” Adam Rittenburg said in a post. “ND has been careful with his workload as he works his way back.”
Jeremiyah Love has been outstanding this season for the Notre Dame football team as he has racked up over 1,000 yards rushing and he has 16 touchdowns on the year. Having him in the Orange Bowl would obviously be huge for the Fighting Irish.
Love currently has 148 carries for 1,076 yards on the season, and he is averaging over seven yards per carry. He is having a breakout sophomore season and he is one of the most important players on this offense. He will definitely be an important player in what should be a low-scoring Orange Bowl.
Both Penn State and Notre Dame have been stout on defense so far in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions allowed 10 points to SMU and 14 points to Boise State while the Fighting Irish allowed 17 points to Indiana and 10 to Georgia. The Hoosiers scored 14 of those points in the final minute and a half after trailing 27-3 late.
When going up against an elite defense, establishing the run game will be crucial, and Notre Dame will obviously want their starting back in the game to make that happen. If one of these teams can get their run game going, it will open up the rest of the offense. However, without establishing the part of the offense, everything else becomes more difficult.
Notre Dame obviously has an elite back in Jeremiyah Love, and Penn State has some great talent at the position as well. The two-headed monster of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will be difficult for the Fighting Irish to stop.
The Orange Bowl should be a good one, and it's good to see that Love is on track to play. Notre Dame and Penn State will get the Orange Bowl started at 7:30 ET on Thursday from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, and the game will be airing on ESPN. The Fighting Irish are currently favored by two points.
