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Notre Dame football star Jeremiyah Love absolves Stanford linebacker
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- Notre Dame football star Jeremiyah Love absolves Stanford linebacker
NEW YORK — Notre Dame football running back Jeremiyah Love has yet to hear from Stanford linebacker Wilfredo Aybar after the hard tackle/borderline play that left the Heisman Trophy finalist with bruised ribs.
Thirteen days after that 49-20 road win, Love said Friday he has seen the replay of the gang tackle and the flying knee-drop that looked more appropriate for a pro-wrestling Battle Royale.
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"I did see the play," Love said. "I don't think it was blatant. I don't think he tried to do it. I feel like it was on me because I exposed myself in kind of an awkward way, where I left myself open (in the torso area)."
Love, who had an injury scare against Boise State in early October, returned against the Cardinal but finished with 72 scrimmage yards on 15 touches. That was his second-lowest output of the season, besting only the 59 total yards he managed on 14 touches in the season-opening loss at Miami.
"I usually try to fall or protect myself," Love said. "I didn't protect myself in that instance. Stuff like that happens. Injuries happen. I never really take it to heart."
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Love was slow to get up at the Stanford goal line earlier in the first quarter, but he said that wasn't injury-related.
"No, I was just tired," he said after carrying eight times for 54 yards and his record-setting 21sttouchdown of the year on that drive. "I was really tired. Lot of carries on the first drive, so I was just exhausted."
The Stanford experience marked the second straight season Love was limited in his final game. The 34-23 loss to Ohio State in January's national championship game included just six total touches for Love, picking up just 8 yards, not counting a successful 2-point conversion reception.
The Grade 2 sprain of his right MCL finally caught up with him after he carved out several highlight moments through the first three College Football Playoff rounds.
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"It was really hard to play on a partially torn MCL or something like that," Love said. "It was very painful. The mental hurdle was huge to try and get over. I just wasn't able to play how I wanted to in that game, wasn't able to contribute how I wanted to."
He shook his head. Nearly 11 months later, the disappointment was still raw.
"Just thinking back, it was just terrible," he said. "It was a terrible feeling not being there for my guys and not being able to be myself. I tried my best to do what I could, play through it and be of some help to my team, but ultimately the outcome was the outcome."
Notre Dame is still looking for its first national championship since 1988 and its first Heisman Trophy since Tim Brown in 1987.
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Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football star Jeremiyah Love absolves Stanford linebacker
