Notre Dame football's Jeremiyah Love could put himself among program greats on Saturday
SOUTH BEND — It’s not exactly DiMaggio territory yet, but sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love has a significant scoring streak going for Notre Dame football, nonetheless.
Love’s 39-yard rushing touchdown against Stanford marked the seventh straight game in which he’d reached the end zone on a play from scrimmage. Love’s streak dates to a 13-yard TD reception against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl to close out 2023.
With another touchdown Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, Love could put himself in exclusive program company.
Unofficially, eight straight games with a touchdown (rushing or receiving) marks the longest streak for any Notre Dame player since Autry Denson’s 10-game run to open the 1998 season.
Sharing the 21st-century mark are running backs Kyren Williams (2021) and Jonas Gray (2011); quarterback Brandon Wimbush (2017) and wide receivers Golden Tate (2009) and Jeff Samardzija (2005).
Wimbush and Samardzjia ran off their streaks from the start of the season, while Williams, Gray and Tate closed out their careers on eight-game runs.
Love’s first touch against the Cardinal didn’t come until Notre Dame’s 21st offensive snap, its third series and nearly 20 minutes into the game. Love finished with six carries for 53 yards and added a reception for 25 more.
“I don’t really think about my touches too much, for real,” Love said before facing Stanford. “I trust my coach. I trust Coach Deland (McCullough). He’s going to put me in the best position he can. Shoot, he’s trained all the guys, and he’s taking care of us in his own way.”
The seven offensive touches were a season low for Love, who had at least 12 chances in each of the first five games and averaged 13.6 touches in that span.
“We have a plan going into each game in how we’ll rotate the running backs,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. “There’s also a plan with in-game adjustments. If a guy is hot, continue to leave him in there, and that’s what that was.”
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After being benched for a costly fumble against Louisville, Jadarian Price had 13 touches, including a reception, for 53 combined yards against Stanford.
“I trust his plan for me,” Love said of McCullough. “Carries, shoot, if I get the ball, I get the ball. If I don’t, I’m going to contribute and try to help the team any way I can. If they call a play, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
Quarterback DeShone Kizer had a seven-game scoring streak in 2015-16, tying him with wideout T.J. Jones (2013) and now Love. If you include his punt return touchdown against Pittsburgh in 1996, Denson also had a seven-game streak from 1996-97.
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Audric Estime, Love’s mentor in 2023, scored 30 touchdowns in his Irish career but never had a scoring streak longer than six games.
Other six-game touchdown streaks for Notre Dame since 2000 belonged to wideout Will Fuller (2014), Samardzija (2006) and running backs Darius Walker (2005-06) and Ryan Grant (2002).
Current Irish quarterback Riley Leonard has rushed for at least one score in his past five games, tying his career high at Duke in 2022.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football RB Jeremiyah Love keeps finding the end zone
