Early injury update on Notre Dame star RB Jeremiyah Love following knee ailment against USC

Notre Dame football clinched their ticket to the 12-team College Football Playoff this past Saturday, defeating rival USC 49-35 on the road. Anytime you can beat your rival, it’s a big deal. Add in the context of locking down a postseason opportunity to win a National Championship, and it’s even sweeter.

As most fans know, this Fighting Irish team has had to deal with a long string of injuries this season, which has made this 10-game winning streak even more impressive. During this game against the Trojans, Notre Dame suffered another injury when running back Jeremiyah Love left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.

After he was seen running and getting loose on the bike on the sideline, it was announced that Love would be out for the remainder of the football game. CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell reported that Love informed the Notre Dame training staff that he would be unable to go for the rest of the contest. It was a troubling blow, and many were left wondering what the severity of the injury was.

The school has not released any information on the injury yet, but according to a source close to the situation, Love’s knee injury was described as “minor” and that he is expected to be “100 percent for the playoffs.” That is obviously great news for the Irish, who will need Love at his best to make a deep postseason run.

Before leaving that contest against USC, the sophomore star had a strong argument as the best overall player on the field for either squad. He rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries, while hauling in three receptions for another 38 yards. Love was dazzling with his combination of athleticism and developing power.

On the season, Love leads the Irish with 949 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging a stellar 7.1 yards per carry. Love has also hauled in 22 receptions for 206 yards and two more scores through the air. He has developed into one of the top offensive weapons in all of college football.

Getting Love back to full health is huge for the Irish. It appears they avoided disaster this past weekend.