Notre Dame football fans have been dreaming of tomorrow for nearly 13 years, as a win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl would send Notre Dame to the National Championship once again.
ND will kick off tomorrow night in the Orange Bowl against the Nittany Lions at 6:30 local time, and fans can't wait to see Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love playing on the biggest stage. This Irish offense has proved everyone wrong who wrote them off after a week 2 loss, and now they have the chance to win their second New Year Six bowl game in this wild CFP run.
Despite Leonard and Love getting most of the hype, Jadarian Price has stepped up big time and was a spark plug against Georgia after Love went down. Price has been excellent all season long and has capability to be RB1, but ND fans got fantastic news Wednesday morning on their star back in Jeremiyah Love.
Notre Dame football injury update
Notre Dame football head coach, Marcus Freeman and PSU head coach, James Franklin held a joint conference Wednesday morning. Freeman provided an update on his star running back, Jeremiyah Love, and Irish fans should be excited.
"Jeremiyah had a good week of practice," Freeman said. "We have to be smart in terms of how much we're asking him to do in practice. We've got to get him ready for the game, but he's confident and nobody feels 100 percent right now. But, J-Love will be good to go."
Love has been tremendous all season long and should not only expose Penn State glaring kryptonite but should help elevate this Irish team to the National Championship. He averages 7.3 yards per carry, as he has 1,076 rushing yards on 148 carries and has 16 rushing touchdowns on the season. He had a touchdown in every game this season, before he was limited in the Sugar Bowl to 6 carries.
Love’s status spells trouble for Penn State kryptonite
Notre Dame run game is led by Jeremiyah Love, but he has sidekicks in Jadarian Price and Riley Leonard. This trio is known for their aggression and ability to break loose for long runs. Love has the longest run in College Football playoff history after his 98 yard touchdown run against Indiana.
The Fighting Irish rushing attack ranks 10 in 20 plus yards rushing plays with 28 plays and rank 5 with 17 plays that went for 30 or more yards. The stat doesn't stop there, as they have 11 rushing plays that went for 40 yards or more that is 4 in FBS, and they have the second most 50 plus rushing yard plays in FBS with 8.
A key struggle for PSU has been tackling, as they rank fourth in the nation for most missed tackles in the power four. Over the last three weeks alone, they’ve missed 57 tackles, a stat that does not go well against a Notre Dame offense which averages 217.5 rushing yards per game, which is 11th best in the country and second best in power four. Irish also leads the power four with 4.2 yards after contact.
The Nittany Lions defense will have their hands full with this Irish rushing attack, as Love gets a lot of the spotlight and is a physical and highlight reel running back. Love's availability will open up Jadarian Price, who has found the end zone on two rushing plays over 60 yards. Twenty of Price's 110 carries have gone for 10 or more yards, which is tied for 4th best among running backs. Price has 720 yards on the ground for the Irish and averages 6.5 yards per carry.
Riley Leonard has also had consistent production rushing the ball, as he averages 57.8 rushing yards per game on just 10 attempts, totaling 831 yards for the season. Among quarterbacks, he ranks 10th in the FBS and 2nd in Power Four conferences. Irish Qb has had two games with 100 rushing yards or more and had nine games where he rushed for 50 yards or more.
Leonard has rushed for 15 touchdowns this season, which is the most in a single season by a Notre Dame quarterback in program history and ranks 17th in all positions, and 3rd among quarterbacks.
Penn State offered a small update on Adbul Carter, as James Franklin did say he will be a game time decision and is expected to play. If Penn State is unable to tackle this rushing attack from Notre Dame football, it will be a long game for the Nittany Lions.