No. 17 Notre Dame looks to find consistency in its rushing game

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Running back Jeremiyah Love provided Notre Dame's lone Week 2 rushing highlight when he took a handoff, hurdled a Northern Illinois defender and sprinted 34 yards for the score.

It was a far better effort last weekend when the Fighting Irish rushed for 362 yards and six TDs in a 66-7 rout at Purdue, the most lopsided result in series history.

Fans are eager to see what No. 17 Notre Dame does for an encore Saturday when Miami (Ohio) visits South Bend — and whether it can help get the rest of the offense in sync.

“I feel like the running backs, or the running back room in general, on any team, if that is established, you know, then it opens up the passing game,” Love said. “We just have to come out and practice hard every day, and eventually we’ll get better chemistry.”

It seems like a perfect matchup for the Irish (2-1), who came out of last week's game averaging 222.7 yards rushing per game and 6.4 yards per carry. The RedHawks are allowing 182.5 yards per game despite being both the defending Mid-American Conference champion and a heavy preseason favorite to repeat.

Now Notre Dame faces a different type of hurdle — injuries. An already young offensive line took two more blows at Purdue when right guard Billy Schrauth and center Ashton Craig were hurt. Neither returned to the game as Rocco Spindler took over for Schrauth and guard Pat Coogan replaced Craig at center. Notre Dame also lost Charles Jagusah, the projected starter at tackle, with a torn pectoral muscle in August.

Coach Marcus Freeman announced earlier this week that Craig suffered a season-ending knee injury and Schrauth will miss several weeks with an injured ankle. But that doesn't mean Freeman is reversing course.

“I think you still have to be committed to running the ball,” he said. “And you know, that’s what our identity is. We want to be able to run the ball.”

The key to success will be the play of quarterback Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke. He rushed for 100 yards, three touchdowns and passed for 112 yards — becoming the first FBS player to run and pass for 100 yards and rush for three TDs in the first half since Lamar Jackson did it in 2016 at Syracuse.

Leonard spent the second half wearing a headset, a welcome respite after critics called him out for his performance in the shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois. Leonard ranks third among active FBS quarterbacks with 23 career TD runs.

His presence helped open things up for Love, who sprinted 48 yards down the sideline for a score on Notre Dame's fifth play. Love finished with 109 yards, getting limited work in the second half, and Jadarian Price finished with 86 yards, including a 70-yard TD run in the waning seconds of the first half.

That was a stark contrast to the inconsistent ground game in the victory at Texas A&M and the loss to Northern Illinois.

So Freeman is preaching patience.

“You can’t go three-and-out and three-and-out and you just say, ‘OK, let’s keep running the ball,’” he said. “You’ve got to move the chains, and you’ve got to change the field position.”

The numbers are looking better.

With Leonard averaging 5.3 yards per carry, Love averaging 8.0 yards and Price averaging 7.7 yards, Notre Dame's rushing attack appears to be getting its footing.

Except, of course, when someone goes airborne to find a hole.

“It was kind of crazy,” Love said, referring to his Week 2 scoring run. “I felt like I was really high in the air, like I was flying or something.”