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Marcus Freeman updates Jeremiyah Love’s status for Orange Bowl semifinal
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Marcus Freeman sounded optimistic that Jeremiyah Love will be able to suit up for Notre Dame’s Orange Bowl semifinal vs. Penn State. However, it doesn’t sound like the star running back is 100% after an injury in the Sugar Bowl.
Facing Georgia, Love had just 6 carries for 19 yards and a 2-yard reception after an injury to his knee. It falls well below his season average of 76.9 yards per game and 7.3 yards per carry.
The good news is that Marus Freeman said the Fighting Irish are being careful with Love in practice, but he also believes the star running back will be good to go in Thursday’s game:
“J Love, Jeremiyah, has had a great week of practice. 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,” explained Freeman. “And nobody, I think, feels 100 percent right now. We’re in week, I think, 15 or game 15 — 16 maybe for you. Nobody feels 100 percent. But J Love will be good to go.”
Orange Bowl outlook
There’s no denying Love’s impact on the Notre Dame offense. He led the team with 1,076 yards on the ground, and his 7.27 yards per carry ranked 14th in the country. Love’s 16 rushing touchdowns were also a top-20 mark nationally while he delivered a 98-yard score against Indiana to open the Playoff.
Heading into the game, Notre Dame is a 1.5-point favorite per FanDuel, and the ground game figures to be a major factor. Fans can use our sports betting app to track the latest line movement and freshest odds ahead of kickoff.
Penn State figures to be another tough matchup on the ground for the Fighting Irish. The Nittany Lions finished 8th nationally while giving up 100.87 yards per game, and they are coming off a strong performance against Boise State.
Penn State was able to limit Ashton Jeanty, the nation’s leading rusher and a Heisman finalist, to 104 yards on 30 carries in the Fiesta Bowl. It was Jeanty’s lowest output of the season and only his 2nd game all year without a rushing touchdown.
We’ll see who gains the upper hand in the Orange Bowl.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
