Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson knows his defense will need to know where No. 4 for Notre Dame is at all the time on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana.
Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love, who wears No. 4, has been on a tear. He had four touchdowns in the first half of a 56-13 blowout win against Arkansas, and Love is looking to do more damage to the Broncos next.
“Yeah. I mean, I was talking to a coach that played against him. He said, the second you think you got him, all of a sudden you look up and it’s first down again,” Danielson told reporters on Monday. “I think that speaks to who Jeremiyah Love is, right?”
“I mean, he’s extremely hard. I mean, he’s going to be a top-ten football pick, top-ten draft pick, and that’s earned and deserved. Elite catching the football, too. An elite receiver. Had two catching touchdowns last weekend,” Danielson added. “He’s extremely hard to get down, very, very quick on his feet, strong, powerful, so he can go through you if you’re high, but he also can one-cut and he can get out. And it’s gone.”
Love has 341 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 66 carries in four games this season. He’s also a threat in the passing game, as Danielson mentioned, with 13 receptions for 149 yards and three touchdowns.
Stopping Love will be paramount for the Broncos to have a chance against the Irish on Saturday.
Spencer Danielson Talks Facing Irish QB C.J. Carr
Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr likewise has been grabbing headlines of late, and Danielson expects a big challenge in slowing done the redshirt freshman quarterback. Carr threw four touchdown passes against Arkansas, and he’s over 1,000 yards passing and nine touchdowns for the season already.
“Yeah, first off, he can make every throw. He’s extremely athletic, can run, can make every throw, but for a freshman, I’m extremely impressed with his decision-making,” Danielson said. “I mean, he gives the ball exactly where it should be, on time, where it should go. He runs a pro-style offense that has a lot of shifts and motions and complications to it, and he operates it at a very, very high level.”
“He’s obviously played in big-time games and played really, really well, so I’m very, very impressed with C.J.,” Danielson added. “Like I said, he’s going to be a first-round draft pick when he leaves college. I mean, that’s not just my opinion, and he deserves that.”
Spencer Danielson Has a Perspective on Playing in South Bend
Boise State has won a BCS bowl and been to the College Football Playoff in the program’s young but successful history. However, Boise State is a Group of Five team that doesn’t play in an environment like Notre Dame’s every week. That said, Danielson expects his team to treat it like another game.
“We need our best enthusiasm juice from our coaches,” Danielson said. “No different from our players. That’s really going to be my message because it is going to be an awesome game, awesome atmosphere, but it’s going to be no different when it’s game number six and we’re playing New Mexico on the blue, right? I’m so process-oriented that it’s all process over outcome that I believe that’s how you can be consistent.”
“Now, I don’t know, have any idea how Saturday afternoon is going to go in South Bend, but that’s my message,” Danielson continued. “Not, because just the reality, there’s going to be, well, this week, coach, I’m ready to give you my all. It’s like, I needed your all last week, right? Like, I need your all two weeks ago. Like, no, I want your best.”
“You come to Boise State, you are going to be held to high standard to give your best every single meeting, every single practice,” Danielson added. “And then when it comes to the game, go cut it loose. However, the game goes on Saturday, we’re going to still learn and grow from however it happens because we’re going to be focused on our process.”