It was clear in the first two losses to start the season that Notre Dame’s offense wasn’t relying on its playmakers. The offense was struggling for an identity behind young starting quarterback CJ Carr. He had yet to come into his own, and Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock was trying to get him going. Fans were screaming to put the ball in the hands of arguably one of the best, if not the best, running back in the country. Things got better as Carr settled into his role and Denbrock got this offense back to playing Irish football. What does that mean? Getting the ball into your playmakers’ hands. It turned out, though, that Carr is a playmaker in his own right. The key? Learning when to rely on Jeremiyah Love. Yes, he is the running back mentioned above. Can Love become the eighth Heisman Trophy winner for Notre Dame?
Can Love Bring Home the Heisman Trophy for Notre Dame?
In theory, yes, he can. Love is currently in the mix for the Heisman Trophy this season. He is sitting in good company with three quarterbacks who are some of the best in the country. Two Big Ten quarterbacks are leading the group. Ohio State signal caller Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza at Indiana are two names thrown in the hat. Finally, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed is in there as well. The difference in Love and these three? He has shared his backfield with Jadarian Price all season. Price has been very good in his own right. He has 11 rushing touchdowns and two more through the air. Price is averaging 56 rushing yards per game and has 674 rushing yards this season on 113 carries. This is important when you look at Love’s numbers.
Love has 199 carries through 12 games this season. He is averaging just over seven yards per carry and averages 118.7 rushing yards per game. He has a season-high 1,372 rush yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, and 21 total touchdowns from scrimmage.
How Does Love Stack Up?
The quarterbacks are easier to measure success or failure, as they have the ball in their hands every time the offense is on the field. Unless the offensive coordinator gets creative with a wildcat or direct snap play call. Offenses succeed or fail by the quarterback’s performance in most instances. It is clear with the eye test, and by looking at game-by-game statistics, that Notre Dame’s offense was able to succeed once Love got going. Once Carr got in a rhythm and he was able to throw the ball, it opened things up for Love. The star running back had two games with 10 or fewer carries this season. Those being the season-opening loss to Miami, where he had a total of 33 yards rushing, and then the blowout win against Syracuse, where Notre Dame didn’t need him. He did finish the final regular season game with his third-lowest rushing total of 66 yards on the ground, but he scored a touchdown. But again, the Irish didn’t need him to beat Stanford 49-20.
Keeping with the notion that quarterbacks have their own fate in their hands, Mendoza is ranked second in the nation for points responsible for per game with 19. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia wasn’t mentioned above, but he is very much in contention and ranks third with 18.7. Reed and Sayin aren’t in the top 10; they are 15th at 15.5 points per game and 20th with 14.7 points per game, respectively. Again, all four are constantly touching the football when the offense has the ball. Love is the second-ranked running back with 10.9. He has a lot of touches, but not as many as a quarterback.
Can He Win Without a Conference Championship?
Sure. Not having a conference championship game often weighs in disfavor for Notre Dame. This can be one of those times. However, two hopefuls go against each other in the Big Ten Championship game this year. Ohio State and Indiana will meet in Indianapolis. Meaning that one won’t have another “W” in the win column. Further, Texas A&M lost its regular-season finale to the Texas Longhorns, and the Aggies aren’t in their conference championship game either. Vanderbilt, also being in the SEC, doesn’t provide Pavia with an extra game either. So, while it could be good to get an extra game in, it could also be detrimental. We will see for both Sayin and Mendoza this weekend.
While it isn’t a lock for Love for the Heisman Trophy, he is not out of the running and is very much in the mix to potentially become the eighth winner for Notre Dame.
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