ATLANTA — The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff featured performances that reminded players that they want to play on the biggest stage, in the biggest moment.
At a time when a common theme in the sports world in December and January is complaining about who isn’t playing, or opting out of various full games and halftime games, who’s playing? It’s enlightening to dig into what they have to do to go through the suits.
Let’s start with Jeremiah Love, the standout running back from Notre Dame. He played in the first-round game against Indiana while battling the flu, overcoming a knee injury, and initially vowed he wouldn’t hurdle anyone against Penn State. (A promise he broke, thankfully for his fans)).
“He didn’t get a lot of practice,” Freeman said of Love after the Orange Bowl. “We were very calculated about what we asked him to do in practice. There might have been a little bit of doubt on my part, but as the game got closer I said, ‘Okay, he’ll try. He may not have had the stats in the first half, but it meant a lot to the whole offense and the whole team with Jeremiah Love playing in the second half. . ”
Love’s 11 carries for 46 yards against the Nittany Lions may not have been his standard performance, but as the game went on and Love got better, the Irish looked like they were slipping away early in the game. They needed him to fight back. as Penn State jumped out to an early 10-0 lead. Love finished the game without as much pain as he expected, and now his attention is on the ultimate prize.
“It took me a little longer to warm up and feel more confident in my knee,” Love said. “Coming into the game I didn’t feel at the optimal level that I wanted to feel, but once I started playing and I started relaxing, everything started to loosen up.
Love says she’s 100% ready CFP National Championship vs. Ohio State on Monday. He wasn’t the only player to play in a game he didn’t need to play in.
Indiana quarterback Curtis Rourke played all season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but this is the second time he has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Texas right tackle Cameron Williams, a potential first-round pick, missed the quarterfinals but returned for the semifinals. Penn State’s Abdul Carter, a likely top-five pick, was eliminated in the quarterfinals due to a left shoulder injury, and against Notre he made a valiant tackle and was just trying to get a block on the right side. My leg was pulled. dam. Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau, a potential first-round pick, returned to the field after suffering a gruesome ankle injury.
Notre Dame’s blemished roster also includes offensive lineman Charles Jagusa. He was originally scheduled to head into training camp as the starting left tackle for the Irish national team, but suffered a torn pectoral muscle in early August. Although the injury was reported to be season-ending, Jagusa knew from the moment the injury occurred that there was hope for a return to the postseason.
“(Coming back from that) was always something I wanted to try,” Jagusa told CBS Sports. “After I got injured, I talked to some coaches and they said there’s always a chance he could come back and help us in the postseason and other games. But for me… , it was kind of like, “I’ve taken every opportunity I’ve had during my injury to get as ready as I can right now, and I feel like I got a lot out of the time I had to miss.” ”
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Jagusa explained that the recovery after surgery to repair the muscle was linear, but it was a long journey. He didn’t practice full-contact until Notre Dame’s first-round game against Indiana State. In fact, his upper body limitations allowed him to focus on his footwork during rehab, which was key when he was called up to replace Rocco Spindler at right guard in the semifinal game against Penn State. It was proven that
Jagusa will replace Anthony Knapp at left tackle in the national title game, but he also played guard in practice. He admits he’s not exactly 100%, but he’s close to it and that’s good enough for the playoffs.
