Notre Dame received an unexpected but dominating blessing in disguise amidst losing an irreplaceable performer
Notre Dame football has been ravaged by injury this season, dealing with having to find answers and replacements for several key contributors throughout. That is especially true on defense, where the Irish have had to find a way to soften the blow of season ending injuries to All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison, and talented pass rushers […]
Notre Dame football has been ravaged by injury this season, dealing with having to find answers and replacements for several key contributors throughout. That is especially true on defense, where the Irish have had to find a way to soften the blow of season ending injuries to All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison, and talented pass rushers Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore.
It appears Notre Dame may have avoided another huge injury, with it seeming that star defensive tackle Howard Cross III suffered just a minor ankle injury. For a minute, panic ensued, and many Irish fans worried about the fortunes of arguably their best and most important remaining defender.
From there, it was an almost poetic game from the remainder of the interior defensive line group in Cross’ absence. It started with Rylie Mills, who put together an insane sequence, including two sacks during the remainder of that drive. On that day, Mills ended with five total tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks. He seemed to have been showing out for Cross, who has been his partner in crime for multiple seasons now.
Mills stepping up, however, isn’t overly shocking. The performance from the player who took Cross’ place was.
Notre Dame received an outrageous performance from junior Donovan Hinish, who had served as a valuable reserve this season. On this Saturday against Florida State, Hinish looked like much more, a star. He finished the day with five total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Hinish had just half a sack all season coming into this game. His career game was needed, and he really showed out in the place of Cross. He was a huge part of a Irish pass rush that recorded eight sacks on the day, an absolutely dominant performance.
The hope is two fold. One, that Cross is good to go and recovers quickly. The second, that this performance may have been a precursor for things to come from Hinish. While a sound contributor already, Hinish looked like a playmaker against the Seminoles. This Notre Dame defensive line is looking even scarier heading down the stretch.
