Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love has battled several injuries over the past few weeks but has remained one of the top running backs in college football.
The issues started with a knee injury in the regular season finale against USC in Los Angeles, which prevented him from finishing the game. Since then, he has also struggled with flu-like symptoms leading up to and during the first round of the College Football Playoff against Indiana in South Bend.
Love acknowledged after the game that he wasn’t at full strength, but it didn’t stop him from leading the Fighting Irish to a 27-17 victory over the Hoosiers. He delivered a highlight-reel moment with a 98-yard touchdown run early in the game, which became the standout play of the first round CFP matchups.
Love certainly appeared to be in top form in the aforementioned clip, outrunning the entire Hoosier defense despite dealing with a sore knee and flu symptoms.
As Notre Dame prepares for the upcoming Georgia matchup, media were given a glimpse of the team’s practice today ahead of the Sugar Bowl. Notably, Jeremiyah Love was seen without a knee brace or compression sleeve, which he had been wearing due to his previous knee issues.
It’s expected that Notre Dame’s staff has done everything possible to ensure Love is no longer suffering from any flu-like symptoms this week, especially with the high stakes of the game marking the biggest challenge of head coach Marcus Freeman’s tenure at Notre Dame so far.
It is just a short clip from Irish Sports Daily’s Matt Freeman, but it’s a good sign for Irish fans that will be happy to see their electrifying playmaker looking healthy again.
If Notre Dame intends on taking down Georgia and advancing to the College Football Playoff semi-finals, Love will need to be a huge part of the winning effort.