Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 30, 2024 25 ON JUST EIGHT TOUCHES, LOVE PLAYS SUPERSTAR-LEVEL GAME During the first quarter of Notre Dame's win over Army, sophomore run- ning back Jeremiyah Love leaped into the air at the 2½-yard line. By the time he touched the ground, having cleared an unsuspecting Black Knight defender, he was 2½ yards into the end zone. "It's almost like he's anticipating what the defense is going to do," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. The thing is, it wasn't even Love's fa- vorite highlight of the night. "I would say the long run," Love said. "Man, that play was beautiful." On that long run, which was the first play of the second half, Love took the ball and scanned the field as a crease opened up on the left side. Once he saw that, he turned on the jets. And once Love turned on the jets, not a single Army player had a chance to stop him. Love raced to the end zone for a 68- yard touchdown, his third score of the game. Army cornerback Jaydan Mayes was the closest to him, close enough that he reached the St. Louis native's field of vision. Love pointed at Mayes as he looked back toward his teammates, seemingly amused that anyone could get near him. "When he breaks through the second level, I haven't seen many people that can catch him," Freeman said. However, that wasn't why that play was at the top of Love's mind after the game. "The whole line executed perfectly," Love said. "Receivers did their job as well. … That's team glory right there, everybody doing our job and executing the right way, man. You get plays like that to happen." Love earned a great deal of, as Free- man calls it, individual glory against the Black Knights. He ran for 130 yards on just 7 carries (18.6 yards per carry) and 2 touchdowns, along with the 6-yard touchdown reception. The 6-foot, 210-pound back sur- passed 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his second year at Notre Dame, with one regular-season game to go. He has scored at least one touchdown in every game this season, and he's going to be fresher than most elite running backs in Week 14 and into December. Love entered Week 13 tied for 104th in the nation with 114 carries and 89th with 132 touches. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard and junior running back Jadarian Price have more than effec- tively shared the load, but Love enter- ing a potential College Football Playoff run without much tread on his tires is a terrifying thought for whomever draws Notre Dame. "I feel pretty good," Love said. "I trust in [running backs] coach [Deland] Mc- Cullough's plan for me and all the backs, and I know he's gonna do what's best for us and this running back room." Love's 68-yard dash was his final carry of the night, which is the other reason Notre Dame has been able to keep him fresh. When No. 4 breaks into the open field early, come the fourth quarter, his services are no lon- ger required. THE IRISH DEFENSE WINS THE DAY Notre Dame sophomore safety Adon Shuler raced out to an Army pass catcher in the flat and ran right through him quickly after he corralled the ball. The pass, Army's first attempt of the game midway through the second quarter, only went for 2 yards on third-and-7. Shuler stopped it right in its tracks, and Army punted from the shadow of its own end zone — just one glaring ex- ample of what was a thoroughly rough night for the Black Knights' offense. Notre Dame's defense made it that way. Shuler did a lot of that at Yankee Sta- dium — stopping what Army did right in its tracks in a way nobody else really had all season until this late November clash between two top-20 teams. Daily was just 4 of 8 for 26 yards through the air, but it was more impressive the way Notre Dame bottled him up on the ground. ARMY GAME NOTES BY JACK SOBLE AND TYLER HORKA Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love produced 136 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns against the Black Knights. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP