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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football squeezed just 104 scrimmage yards on 20 total touches in the Miami loss from its dynamic duo of running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, however, isn’t about to be lulled into a false sense of security. Not after watching those two carve up his defense and reach the end zone twice in last year’s 23-13 Irish road win in the season opener.
“It’s as talented a duo as I’ve played against,” Elko told reporters at his weekly news conference Monday. “The only thing that I can remember in the ballpark was when I was actually at Notre Dame (as defensive coordinator) and we played Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. That group was really talented.”
Georgia escaped Notre Dame Stadium with a 20-19 win in September 2017. Tuesday marked the eight-year anniversary of that classic in which Chubb and Michel rushed for 136 combined yards on 13 carries apiece.
Michel’s 6-yard scoring run in the third quarter was the duo’s only score that game.
Notre Dame wouldn’t lose again until Miami drilled the Irish 41-8 that November. Georgia went 13-2 and lost to Alabama in overtime at the CFP national championship.
Chubb (5 foot 11, 227 pounds) and Michel (5-11, 215) went on to the NFL, where they have combined for 10,146 rushing yards and 69 rushing touchdowns. Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, is still active with the Houston Texans, while Michel retired after the 2022 season with a pair of Super Bowl rings.
“We have a lot of respect for Mike Elko and the way he leads his program and his play-calling,” Price said after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s a great defensive mind, so that (compliment) means a lot.”
A year ago at Kyle Field, Price shook loose for the game’s first touchdown, a 47-yard scamper midway through the third quarter. Love put the Irish ahead to stay with a 21-yard scoring jaunt with 1:54 to play.
Love (6-foot, 214) and Price (5-11, 210) combined for 135 yards rushing on 22 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per attempt.
“These two kids are really, really good,” Elko said. “Their athleticism for their size, the way they hit the hole, the power with which they run. They’re both effective pass catchers. These two kids are really, really talented football players.”
Price, determined to make up for last week’s fumble at the Miami 3, said the weekly goal for the Irish is 200 yards on the ground.
“We’re just going to do what we have to do to go out there and be better than we did last week,” Price said, “and hopefully get over 200 yards rushing.”
Individually, Price said of his 47-yarder last year: “I’ve seen that play over 100 times. Just thinking of how I can up that, really. I want to see how I can score a 60-yard touchdown this time instead of 40. That’s my mindset.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
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