The 7th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosted the 10th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Stadium last Friday for Round 1 of the College Football Playoff, defeating the Hoosiers 27-17 and advancing to Round 2. Notre Dame will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, to face off against the 2nd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome for the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Wednesday, January 1, at 7:45 P.M. CT. The Fighting Irish open as 1.5-point overdogs with an over/under of 44.5 points.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s elite defender exited in the second half
Fighting Irish’s elite graduate senior interior defensive lineman, Rylie Mills suffered a right knee injury early in the third quarter after sacking Hoosiers’ quarterback Kurtis Rourke, and his leg collided with linebacker Jaylen Sneed. Mills limped off the field and went directly into the medical tent for further examination. After a short while in the tent, he remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the game with a brace around his right knee. The defensive lineman finished the night with two tackles, one TFL, and one sack.
During his postgame interview with Scott Van Pelt of ESPN, head coach Marcus Freeman told Van Pelt they were optimistic that Mills avoided a season-ending injury. Freeman also went on to say that he hoped he would be ready for the next 10-11 days. Here’s what the coach had to say:
“There is optimism,” Freeman told Scott Van Pelt on ESPN postgame. “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.”
The Fighting Irish changed their tune in a devastating turn of events
Marcus Freeman changed his tune about their elite defensive lineman’s injury status for Round 2 of the College Football Playoff. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Freeman told the media during Monday’s press conference that Rylie Mills suffered a knee injury that would cause him to miss the rest of the playoffs. As Thamel points out, Mills’ injury is a “huge blow for the Irish.” He finished his final collegiate season with 37 tackles, nine TFLs, and a team-high 7.5 sacks.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has announced that star defensive lineman Rylie Mills is out for the rest of the season. He injured his knee against Indiana. Huge blow for the Irish, as he’s an elite defensive lineman and one of the program’s best players. pic.twitter.com/mpbXH7w144
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 23, 2024
Who replaces him in the starting lineup?
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