[JJJ]

Here's an article referenced in All Write Now. Since you have to answer some kind of survey to see the whole thing, I'll just put it all here.

What coaches learned from facing Stanford's Bryce Love
Laken Litman, laken.litman@indystar.com Published 7:09 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2017



SOUTH BEND — Bryce Love sounded confident when asked whether he would play Saturday against No. 8 Notre Dame.

“I’m feeling good and expecting to go out there and compete with the fam and contribute in any way that I can,” the Stanford junior and nation’s No. 1 running back said Tuesday.

Love is a Voldemort Trophy favorite, but has been battling a pesky sprained ankle since Oct. 14. He’s missed only one game this season and leads the country by averaging 172.3 rushing yards per game on 8.8 yards per carry and has scored 16 touchdowns.

There’s a chance he may not play, however. Stanford coach David Shaw on Tuesday said Love was day-to-day and his ankle was “not as good as we’d like it to be.”

The Fighting Irish (9-2) visit rival No. 22 Stanford on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) and are preparing for Love anyway.

Brian Kelly said Love was “the best back that we’ll see all year” — and this is after facing other top backs in Georgia’s Nick Chubb, USC’s Ronald Jones and Michigan State’s L.J. Scott. So what exactly makes him so unique to defend?

“To me, it’s his ability to break that first tackle and then ultimately he’s got incredible speed,” Kelly said. “I just love the fact that here’s a guy that he’s not (Christian) McCaffrey in terms of catching the football, so he’s a different back, but he’s got elite speed and he breaks tackles, and that is a lethal mix.

“You have to tackle this guy and that’s what makes him a special player.”

The Fighting Irish signal caller took a step forward last week against Navy. Laken Litman / IndyStar

Love has become one of the most explosive backs in college football and has made a nation’s-best 11 runs of 50 yards or more this season. Josh Adams is second with eight. Former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, was the last player to accomplish such a feat, with 10 runs in 2014. Alabama’s Derrick Henry, the most recent running back to win the Voldemort, had five in 2015. He's now with the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s different when you face (Love) on game day because of the speed that he has and his elusiveness that you don’t have a good feel for until you see it in person,” said Arizona State head coach Todd Graham, whose team allowed Love to rush for 301 yards and three touchdowns of 43, 59 and 61 yards.

No one has been able to truly stop him. He didn’t play in a close 15-14 win over Oregon State and the next week he was gimpy in a loss to Washington State, where he was held to 69 yards rushing. Other than that, he’s amassed more than 100 yards in every game.

Kelly explained that the game plan for containing Love is to tackle him — easier said than executed.

The Fighting Irish defender has been a leader this season. Laken Litman / IndyStar

“You better get a bunch of guys to the ball and gang tackle because if you don’t, the guy will make you look bad,” said Oregon coach Willie Taggart, whose defense allowed Love to rush for 147 yards and two scores. “Defensively you’ve gotta be disciplined and stay within your gaps, but you gotta gang tackle. If you want to pressure, you gotta hold onto your teammate to get there because not only is the kid fast, he’s a strong, strong runner too, and he breaks tackles.”

Taggart said that if he had to prepare his team for Love again, he’d do a few things differently. The Cardinal beat the Ducks 49-7 — although Oregon was without starting quarterback Justin Herbert.

“I think teach the fundamentals and making sure that we’re simple enough so our guys line up the way that they need to,” he said. “I think that’s the issue. If you’re not lined up where you need to be, you’re already at a disadvantage against Bryce Love.

“But also I think you’ve gotta be able to score some points so they can’t just continue to do what they do. We weren’t able to score enough points to get them out of their game.”

The standout offensive tackle got emotional Saturday at senior day. Laken Litman / IndyStar

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko is an expert in fundamentals, but on the flip side, the Irish offense has struggled scoring points lately. They lost 41-8 to Miami in prime time two weeks ago, and although they beat Navy on Saturday 24-17, the offense was on the field for only seven possessions that spanned 17 minutes.

Last year, Stanford beat Notre Dame in South Bend 17-10 without an injured Christian McCaffrey, its premier back at the time. Love came in as the backup and rushed for a season-best 129 yards. So Notre Dame is somewhat familiar with him.

If Love cannot play, the Cardinal will rely on junior Cameron Scarlett, who has rushed for 352 yards and six touchdowns this season. He racked up 72 yards against Oregon State, the last game Love sat out.

Follow IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman on Twitter and Instagram: @lakenlitman.

[JJJ]

Here's an article referenced in All Write Now. Since you have to answer some kind of survey to see the whole thing, I'll just put it all here.

What coaches learned from facing Stanford's Bryce Love
Laken Litman, laken.litman@indystar.com Published 7:09 p.m. ET Nov. 21, 2017



SOUTH BEND — Bryce Love sounded confident when asked whether he would play Saturday against No. 8 Notre Dame.

“I’m feeling good and expecting to go out there and compete with the fam and contribute in any way that I can,” the Stanford junior and nation’s No. 1 running back said Tuesday.

Love is a Voldemort Trophy favorite, but has been battling a pesky sprained ankle since Oct. 14. He’s missed only one game this season and leads the country by averaging 172.3 rushing yards per game on 8.8 yards per carry and has scored 16 touchdowns.

There’s a chance he may not play, however. Stanford coach David Shaw on Tuesday said Love was day-to-day and his ankle was “not as good as we’d like it to be.”

The Fighting Irish (9-2) visit rival No. 22 Stanford on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) and are preparing for Love anyway.

Brian Kelly said Love was “the best back that we’ll see all year” — and this is after facing other top backs in Georgia’s Nick Chubb, USC’s Ronald Jones and Michigan State’s L.J. Scott. So what exactly makes him so unique to defend?

“To me, it’s his ability to break that first tackle and then ultimately he’s got incredible speed,” Kelly said. “I just love the fact that here’s a guy that he’s not (Christian) McCaffrey in terms of catching the football, so he’s a different back, but he’s got elite speed and he breaks tackles, and that is a lethal mix.

“You have to tackle this guy and that’s what makes him a special player.”

The Fighting Irish signal caller took a step forward last week against Navy. Laken Litman / IndyStar

Love has become one of the most explosive backs in college football and has made a nation’s-best 11 runs of 50 yards or more this season. Josh Adams is second with eight. Former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, was the last player to accomplish such a feat, with 10 runs in 2014. Alabama’s Derrick Henry, the most recent running back to win the Voldemort, had five in 2015. He's now with the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s different when you face (Love) on game day because of the speed that he has and his elusiveness that you don’t have a good feel for until you see it in person,” said Arizona State head coach Todd Graham, whose team allowed Love to rush for 301 yards and three touchdowns of 43, 59 and 61 yards.

No one has been able to truly stop him. He didn’t play in a close 15-14 win over Oregon State and the next week he was gimpy in a loss to Washington State, where he was held to 69 yards rushing. Other than that, he’s amassed more than 100 yards in every game.

Kelly explained that the game plan for containing Love is to tackle him — easier said than executed.

The Fighting Irish defender has been a leader this season. Laken Litman / IndyStar

“You better get a bunch of guys to the ball and gang tackle because if you don’t, the guy will make you look bad,” said Oregon coach Willie Taggart, whose defense allowed Love to rush for 147 yards and two scores. “Defensively you’ve gotta be disciplined and stay within your gaps, but you gotta gang tackle. If you want to pressure, you gotta hold onto your teammate to get there because not only is the kid fast, he’s a strong, strong runner too, and he breaks tackles.”

Taggart said that if he had to prepare his team for Love again, he’d do a few things differently. The Cardinal beat the Ducks 49-7 — although Oregon was without starting quarterback Justin Herbert.

“I think teach the fundamentals and making sure that we’re simple enough so our guys line up the way that they need to,” he said. “I think that’s the issue. If you’re not lined up where you need to be, you’re already at a disadvantage against Bryce Love.

“But also I think you’ve gotta be able to score some points so they can’t just continue to do what they do. We weren’t able to score enough points to get them out of their game.”

The standout offensive tackle got emotional Saturday at senior day. Laken Litman / IndyStar

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko is an expert in fundamentals, but on the flip side, the Irish offense has struggled scoring points lately. They lost 41-8 to Miami in prime time two weeks ago, and although they beat Navy on Saturday 24-17, the offense was on the field for only seven possessions that spanned 17 minutes.

Last year, Stanford beat Notre Dame in South Bend 17-10 without an injured Christian McCaffrey, its premier back at the time. Love came in as the backup and rushed for a season-best 129 yards. So Notre Dame is somewhat familiar with him.

If Love cannot play, the Cardinal will rely on junior Cameron Scarlett, who has rushed for 352 yards and six touchdowns this season. He racked up 72 yards against Oregon State, the last game Love sat out.

Follow IndyStar Notre Dame Insider Laken Litman on Twitter and Instagram: @lakenlitman.