Jeremiyah Love injury update: Marcus Freeman reveals status for College Football Playoff semifinal vs. Penn State

Marcus Freeman provided an injury update on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ahead of Thursday’s Orange Bowl clash with Penn State.

“He’s had a good week of practice. We have to be smart about how much we’re asking him to do in practice,” Freeman said, via the Orange Bowl press conference. “No one is 100-percent right now. He’ll be good to go.” 

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The star running back went down in the third quarter of Notre Dame’s 23-10 victory in New Orleans, and later he had a brace on his right knee. Love headed to the injury tent, but after briefly working out on the sideline, went back in for further evaluation.

All told, Love is an important part of the Notre Dame offense, which leans heavily on the running game. He entered Thursday’s game with a team-high 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns. He, along with Riley Leonard and Jadarian Price, have engineered the Fighting Irish’s 11-game winning streak to get them into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.

Love only had seven carries against UGA, going for 19 yards. Leonard wound up being Notre Dame’s leading rusher on the afternoon with 80 yards on 14 attempts. From a running back perspective, Price picked up the slack at 10 carries and 37 yards.

Love also put himself in the history books during the first round of the CFP in South Bend. He took a hand-off 98 yards for a touchdown on Notre Dame’s third play from scrimmage against Indiana, marking the longest touchdown run in Playoff history. He did so while working through a knee injury and also dealing with symptoms from the flu.

However, even after his departure in the Sugar Bowl, Love made it clear he plans to play in Thursday’s semifinal matchup in Miami. He didn’t hesitate when asked afterward.

“I asked Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love about his injured knee after the Sugar Bowl,” Tyler Horka of On3’s Blue and Gold said. “He said he tweaked it like he did at USC. Love seemed to recover well after that but he has less time to do so now. Still, asked if he’ll be good for the Orange Bowl, he gave a confident nod. Yes.”

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.