Jeremiyah Love’s TD run against Penn State already the stuff of Notre Dame lore

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love bullied his way into the end zone against Penn State

Football fans of a certain vintage may look back with fondness at the coaching career of Bill Parcells.

The legendary head coach was a treasure trove for NFL Films, delivering incredible content whenever the cameras and microphones were trained in his direction. Perhaps one of his most memorable moments on the sidelines came during a game when Parcells was the head coach of the New York Giants, when he implored his team in the closing moments of a tight contest.

“Hey fellas! This is what you work all off season for. This is why you lift all them weights! This is why you do all that!”

Perhaps Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love saw that clip along the way.

The Fighting Irish are headed to the National Championship Game after knocking off Penn State 27-24. Love played a critical role in Notre Dame’s win, running for 45 yards and a touchdown against a stout Penn State defense.

But it is that touchdown that will become the stuff of Notre Dame lore, and harkens back to that quote from Parcells many years ago.

With the game tied at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame faced a 1st-and-goal situation at the Penn State 2-yard line. They turned to Love on first down, running the back to the left side on a power design, pulling right guard Charles Jagusah in front of him, along with tight end Mitchell Evans.

However, Penn State defender Zion Tracy — the “Lion” defender in defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s scheme — had other ideas. Tracy crashes into the hole and gets enough of Love’s legs three yards behind the line of scrimmage to send the Notre Dame running back stumbling.

But not to the turf.

Somehow, some way, Love manages to stay upright, barreling into safety Zakee Wheatley short of the end zone and near the line of scrimmage. As multiple Penn State defenders pile on Love keeps his legs moving and, in a scene stolen from your favorite football movie, extends the ball just past the goal line for the go-ahead score:

This effort from Love is worth multiple replay angles.

After the game, Love attributed Notre Dame’s win to playing “like dogs:”

It also might have had something to do with lifting all them weights.