Notre Dame football may have avoided major disaster during College Football Playoff win over Indiana
Notre Dame football was a part of history on Friday night. The Fighting Irish came out with a 27-17 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in what was a much more lopsided game than the final score indicates, winning the first ever College Football Playoff Game in a home stadium. It was a good sign to […]
Notre Dame football was a part of history on Friday night. The Fighting Irish came out with a 27-17 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in what was a much more lopsided game than the final score indicates, winning the first ever College Football Playoff Game in a home stadium.
It was a good sign to see star defensive tackle Howard Cross III back on the field healthy during the contest. The Fighting Irish have dealt with a slew of injuries this season, so seeing Cross back was a refreshing occurrence. This Al Golden led defense is one of the top groups in college football, and they showcased their dominance last night.
There were, however, several players who left the game with various injuries during the contest. Perhaps the most troubling was Cross’ partner in crime Rylie Mills, who has been tremendous for Notre Dame over the last several weeks. Mills currently leads the Irish with nine tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks, as well as adding 37 total tackles.
Mills was helped off of the field with an apparent right knee injury, and he did not return to the game. During the contest, the Illinois native was seen walking around the sideline, which was a good sign. Head coach Marcus Freeman was asked about the Mills injury during his media availability after the game.
The question was asked ESPN’s own Scott Van Pelt. There appeared to be some major optimism from Coach Freeman’s answer.
"There is optimism,” Freeman said. “I won't get into details on what they told me but it sounds like it's not season-ending. We just gotta get him right here in the next 10-11 days and get him ready for this upcoming contest down in New Orleans."
From that initial conversation, it does appear that Notre Dame did dodge a potential major blow. It’s going to be a process, but there is optimism that Mills could be an available for their next playoff game against Georgia. They will certainly need Mills.
Notre Dame football entered the playoffs with one major defensive question mark, and they may have found an answer against Indiana
A Notre Dame question may have been answered against Indiana
