Notre Dame's explosive running back dominates on the field, earning finalist nods for top national awards and chasing program records.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been a star for the Irish offense all season, and the national awards are taking notice. Love has been named a finalist for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award as the Irish head into their final game of the regular season. Love will look to build on his resume for both awards - and for the Heisman Trophy - with a big game against Stanford on Saturday night.
Love has rushed for 1,306 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Love has also caught 26 passes for 274 yards and three more touchdowns. Love's 118.7 rushing yards per game ranks 3rd nationally, as does his 17 rushing touchdowns. Love's 20 total touchdowns ranks 2nd in all of college football and is at the top of the list among Power 4 players. Love has gone for 143.6 yards from scrimmage this season, which is also 3rd nationally and 2nd among Power 4 players.
Love needs just 132 rushing yards to set the Notre Dame single-season rushing record (1,437), which was set by Vagas Ferguson back in 1979. Love is also one rushing touchdown away from tying Audric Estime's single season rushing record and he needs one touchdown to break the total touchdown record that was set by Jerome Bettis back in 1992.
The Irish star has also been at his best in big games this season. He was held in check in the opener - due mostly to a lack of touches - but that hasn't stopped him from averaging more yards against the ranked teams the Irish have faced than he has against unranked opponents. In games against teams that were ranked when the game was played, Love has rushed for 119.2 yards per game, averaged 151.8 total yards from scrimmage and averaged 7.0 yards per touch.
Six Notre Dame players have combined to win the Maxwell Award seven times, with Manti Te'o winning it most recently in 2012. Brady Quinn won the award in 2006, Ross Browner won it in 1977, Jim Lynch won it in 1966, Johnny Lattner won it in 1952 and 1953, and Leon Hart won it in 1949.
No Notre Dame running back has ever won the Doak Walker Award, and only Reggie Brooks (1992) was even a finalist. That means Love has a chance to do something no Irish player has ever done. It's not often a Notre Dame player gets a chance to do that! Love is also expected to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy Award, and Te'o was the last Irish player to earn that honor, with Tim Brown being the last to win it.
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