Jeremiyah Love didn’t sound like a player coming off a breakout day. He sounded like someone still replaying every missed chance.
That’s what made Sunday stand out for the Arizona Cardinals rookie. In a 36-30 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Love posted the kind of stat line that usually turns heads: 90 yards on 21 carries, five catches for 19 yards, and his first career receiving touchdown. But when he stepped to his locker afterward, the tone was all accountability.
“I left a lot out there. I feel like I could have helped the team a lot more.
I mean, I just left a lot out there,” Love said in front of his locker on Sunday afternoon. “I ran as I got, I tried to take advantage of them the best way that I could.
But I left a lot out there. I could have gotten a lot more yards, a lot more conversions.”
He kept going, refusing to dress up what had happened.
“I didn't take it full advantage of all the opportunities,” the former Notre Dame star continued. “So, kinda something I gotta reflect on, get better at next week.
I increased carries, did a fairly decent job converting third downs and first downs, and did what I gotta do for the team. But gotta get better, gotta do better, and take advantage of those opportunities.”
That humility is part of why Love has been such a fan favorite since his days in South Bend. The talent has always been obvious.
The clips of him overwhelming defenders have always been there. But the way he talks about the game, and the way he shoulders blame even when the loss isn’t on him, has clearly traveled with him to the NFL.
Sunday also marked a major shift in how the Cardinals used him. His 21 carries were not only his season high; they were the most any Arizona running back had logged in 2026.
Before the game against the 49ers, the Cardinals had been dividing the rushing load nearly evenly among their backs. Against San Francisco, Love was the clear lead option.
And he looked every bit like it. In just his third career NFL game, he handled the workload like a veteran and gave Arizona one of the few real sparks in the loss.
The early production is piling up too. Love now has 160 yards on 41 carries with one touchdown, putting him out in front of all first-year players in both rushing yards and carries so far this season. That kind of start puts him squarely in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Love, though, doesn’t seem interested in chasing that talk. His focus is on the Cardinals, on improving week to week, and on building something that lasts well beyond 2026.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Got A Huge Edge In UNCs Biggest Weakness
Bill Belichick has made it clear Billy Edwards will stay under center for North Carolinas trip to Notre Dame, even as the passing game continues to sputter. The Tar Heels have had their issues throwing the ball this season, and Belichick pointed to the broader challenge of getting the entire offense working more cleanly rather than pinning it all on the quarterback.
For Notre Dame, that leaves a familiar matchup edge against a unit still searching for consistency through the air. Edwards has completed 56.4% of his passes this season, and North Carolina enters the game as a three-touchdown underdog, which only adds to the pressure on an offense that will need sharper execution to keep the Irish from controlling the night. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Land A Recruiting Win Oklahoma Fans Would Hate
Recruiting momentum has a way of building quietly, and Notre Dame is at least in the mix for one of the more intriguing names in the 2028 class. Kamieon Compton-Nero, a four-star athlete with nearly 20 scholarship offers, has trimmed his list to five schools, with the Irish alongside Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama and SMU. He is set to be in South Bend on Nov. 7, when Notre Dame hosts Miami, giving the program a chance to make a strong impression in a high-profile setting.
For the Irish, the visit matters because Compton-Nero has already shown a positive view of the coaching staff and the program, which is often the first step in turning a shortlist into real traction. Oklahoma is still squarely in the hunt, and that only raises the stakes for a matchup that could have significance far beyond the field. Notre Dame will be trying to turn a game-day atmosphere into something lasting, with a coveted recruit watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Recruiting Edge Faces A Real Test Against North Carolina
Notre Dames upcoming meeting with North Carolina carries an extra layer of intrigue because it is not just another game on the schedule, it is a snapshot of how recruiting profiles translate once the ball is snapped. The comparison between the programs points to Notre Dames edge in the passing game and along the offensive line, while North Carolina brings a defense that has been sturdier against the pass than the recruiting chatter might suggest.
North Carolina also has a few key contributors who arrived without much buzz and turned into real problems for opponents, which is part of what makes this matchup interesting for Notre Dame. The Irish have spent recent seasons stacking classes near the top of the national rankings, but this is the kind of test that asks whether those rankings show up in the trenches and in the matchups that matter most. [Read more 🡒]