Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been battling a knee injury, is on track to play against Penn State in the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

Both Penn State and Notre Dame have been stout on defense so far in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions allowed 10 points to SMU and 14 points to Boise State while the Fighting Irish allowed 17 points to Indiana and 10 to Georgia. The Hoosiers scored 14 of those points in the final minute and a half after trailing 27-3 late.

That means the running back along with quarterback Riley Leonard are expected to continue to lead the ground game while backup running backs Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams provide

Since Notre Dame's season finale win in Los Angeles against USC on November 30, star running back Jeremiyah Love hasn't been quite right. He still dazzled with a 98-yard touchdown run in the first round of the College Football Playoff game against Indiana,

While Notre Dame football star running back Jeremiyah Love deemed himself healthy enough to play against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the College Football Playoff semifinals, that might not actually be the case.

Jeremiyah Love spent two weeks off battling a knee injury and an illness. So when he ran onto the Notre Dame Stadium turf Friday night, he was playing at less than full strength.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love runs into the end zone for a touchdown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Fighting Irish running back had previously deemed himself healthy enough to play against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the CFP semifinals - but that might not quite be the case