Who leads the Irish heading into the final regular-season contest?
Notre Dame has its fate in its own hands for the College Football Playoff. All it needs to do is defeat USC, and a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium appears to be a certainty. Who would have thought the Irish would be in such a good position after the loss to Northern Illinois threatened to derail their season early?
The Irish can’t afford to get complacent though. The Trojans have not had a great season, but dealing the Irish a loss that could threaten their playoff chances would make up for everything that has gone wrong for them. That’s why the Irish will need to prepare for them like they would for any ranked team, and the talent they have should allow them to emerge victorious.
Here are the major statistical leaders the Irish are taking into their regular-season finale. Not all of them will be available, but they’re fun to see nonetheless:
Notre Dame has lost another key defensive lineman to injury. Now the Fighting Irish will have to look for a replacement.
End [autotag]Boubacar Traore[/autotag] is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. The defensive end was injured in the first half of the Fighting Irish’s 31-24 win over the Louisville Cardinals. Traore had 11 tackles, five tackles for loss, and led the Irish with three sacks. He was also tied for second on the team for most quarterback pressures with eight — Howard Cross III has the most at 9.
[autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag] seems the most likely replacement. Thus far the junior has seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and a half of a sack.
Freshman [autotag]Loghan Thomas[/autotag], who played 14 snaps versus Louisville, seems likely to see a lot more action.
Head coach Marcus Freeman also pointed to Josh Burnham, who is returning from injury, RJ Oben, and Bryce Young, as possible replacements.
Sep 21, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka (44) celebrates after an interception in the first quarter against the Miami Redhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
“Josh is a guy that could play either field end or Vyper for us. RJ Oben and Bryce Young, obviously, have done a good job at the field end position, and Junior has done a really good job stepping up at the Vyper position, as well as Loghan Thomas getting some reps,” Freeman said. “And so you have five quality individuals that can play the end position for us. And we’ve got to have guys step up, just like Junior has done. And I’m confident that if something would happen again that we’ll have to have another guy step up.”
Vyper is another term for rush end.
Burnham and Young each have four tackles and 1 quarterback hit, and Young has blocked a kick on special teams. Thomas has one tackle and 1 quarterback hit, while Oben has eight tackles — four solo and four assisted.
Based on Freeman’s quote, Tuihalamaka seems likeliest to have the most impact with Traore out, with Burnham and Thomas following. Oben and and Young seem more likely to see most of their reps at field end.
Either way, Traore’s loss is a tough pill to swallow for the Irish.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
As Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] does every Monday, he met with the media and gave an update on his team’s health.
Unfortunately for the Irish, the injury bug has hit the squad hard, as what many feared became a reality on Monday, freshman defensive end [autotag]Boubacar Traore[/autotag] has been lost for the year with an ACL injury. It’s a big blow to the defensive line, at they also lost Jordan Botelho for the season as well.
As for a few others, tight end Cooper Flanigan, defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio, and offensive lineman Billy Schrauth all are questionable this week against Stanford.
There was some good news as well, with wide receiver Jordan Faison, defensive lineman Joshua Burnham, and cornerback Christian Gray are listed as probable. Offensive lineman Sam Pendleton suffered a concussion against Louisville, but has made a quick recovery and should be ready to go this weekend.
True freshman safety Braunte Johnson is much closer to a return, but his classmate quarterback [autotag]CJ Carr[/autotag] isn’t.
Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr (12) warms up before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend.
He hurt his throwing elbow in practice, and while it’s not a major injury, he has been held out of activities as he gets closer to being full strength. We now have an answer as to why Carr was throwing left-handed while warming up for the Cardinals.
Hopefully, the injuries don’t continue for the Irish, but it’s hard to say that will stop with such a physical game.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Coach updates us on what he knows about Traore’s injury
It was another win for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, but there was still a major loss over the course of the game.
Already one of the starting defensive ends, [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag], will be out for the remainder of the year with a knee injury. His replacement, [autotag]Boubacar Traore[/autotag], had been dominant since he entered the starting lineup.
Though last week, he was the nation’s freshman leader in sacks with three, and it seemed like he was well on his way to adding to that number against Louisville. Unfortunately, he went down with an injury in the second quarter, and did not return to the field.
Traore was seen roaming the sidelines with his left knee wrapped in ice, and following the game many wanted head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] to expand on the injury. The update didn’t give us much, as he said that he knows it’s a lower body injury and that he’d be out the remainder of the game, but didn’t know any more.
No update on Boubacar Traore from Marcus Freeman. Lower body injury. Knew he was out for the game, but that was all Freeman offered on the sophomore defensive end.
We should know more on Monday after Notre Dame’s medial team will get a chance to give him a full examination.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
In what has become a bad storyline for Notre Dame football this fall, they once again found themselves getting its depth tested after losing two more starters.
Already down multiple offensive lineman and defensive end Jordan Botelho, the Irish ended up losing his replaced [autotag]Boubacar Traore[/autotag] to a knee injury in the first half. The nation’s freshman sack leader looked visibly distraught on the sidelines, with ice wrapped on right left knee. The Peacock broadcast confirmed that he will be out for the remainder of the game.
That wasn’t the end of the injury woes, as running back [autotag]Jeremiah Love[/autotag] left the game towards the end of the first half. He would get to the medical tent almost immediately after taking a carry, where he lost three yards.
Luckily for Love, it didn’t appear serious as he returned for the final play of the half. Hopefully, it was just a scare like his backfield mate quarterback Riley Leonard. It did seem like he may have re-injured his non-throwing shoulder, as he left for one play after landing on it before returning. It’s obviously something to monitor going forward.
It’s been a trying year on this end for Notre Dame.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
The great thing about Notre Dame’s dominant win over Miami (Ohio) is that a few more players got a chance to shine. Consequently, we have a few new names popping up in our weekly statistical leaders listicle heading into the game against Louisville. That should force the Cardinals to be a little more aware of the players they’ll be going up against.
This goes without saying, but the Irish always can benefit from new players appearing in these categories. It highlights just how deep the team’s talent is, and anyone can step in at any point. It might take some players longer to crack the leaders lists than others, but that’s the beauty of a regular season that runs through the end of November.
So who are the players standing out the most going into the Irish’s last game before their first bye week? Take a look for yourself here:
The young defensive line did something no Irish defensive lineman has done since Tuitt’s time in South Bend.
Whenever your name is mentioned in the same breath as Stephon Tuitt, that’s probably a good thing. Especially if you play defensive line for the Fighting Irish.
That’s the case for Boubacar Traore. His pick-six against Purdue was the first one for an Irish D-lineman since Tuitt did it against Michigan in 2013.
It’s the first interception for any Fighting Irish defensive lineman since Daelin Hayes in 2020, as well.
Only one time in the past 30 years has an Irish defensive lineman returned one longer for a touchdown — nose tackle Alton Maiden took one 44 yards to the house against Navy in 1994.
“I didn’t even think it was going to come to me,” Traore told the South Bend Tribune when asked about his 34-yard touchdown return of the errant Hudson Card pass. “When I saw the ball, I just had to make the best out of the situation. I got the ball and just ran.”
With fellow lineman Jordan Botelho out for the season with a knee injury, and defensive end Josh Burnham question for this week’s home game against Miami of Ohio, the redshirt freshman Traore might be on the move against the Redhawks.
If so, he told the Tribune, he’s ready.
“I already knew what to do at end because the Vyper and end position aren’t too different,” Traore said. “The preparation was still the same. I was in the playbook a little more this week. It was fun playing in the end position.”
Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card (1) is hit as his pass is intercepted by Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Boubacar Traore (5) Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.
Vyper, for those who don’t know, is a hybrid position that is essentially a rushing end.
Traore is young, but he might be able to shore up a stout but injury-plagued defensive line.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
The defense is getting in on the act against Purdue.
Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore was the beneficiary of a baffling decision by Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card.
Card tried a desperation flip and Traore easily picked it off and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown with 1:32 left in the first half.
Mitch Jeter hit the extra point as the Fighting Irish are pouring it on against their in-state rivals in the first half. Notre Dame’s offense, especially the ground game, has been effective, and the defense has stifled the Boilermakers all day long.
Card has been struggling with pressure from the Irish, and even potentially serious injuries to three starters haven’t dampened Irish spirits so far.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class swelled to 10 members Monday night when [autotag]Sam Pendleton[/autotag] became the first offensive lineman to give his verbal commitment to the class. Could the 11th commitment soon be coming?
Defensive lineman Boubacar Traore, a former [autotag]Boston College[/autotag] commitment and four-star prospect according to 247Sports, is on Notre Dame’s campus Tuesday.
Traore committed to Boston College on August 5, 2020 but decommitted in March. Michigan and Pitt are also known to have offered him a scholarship and currently all four crystal ball predictions for Traore on 247Sports have him ultimately choosing Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame.
Traore is listed at 6-4, 250-pounds from Catholic Memorial High School in Massachusetts. He’s the younger brother of former LSU offensive tackle who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stay tuned to see if the Irish can close the deal and land another star in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
Meet Notre Dame’s 26 current commitments in what is a top-five class nationally.
After a whirlwind couple of years the 2023 recruiting class has officially been completed at Notre Dame. What started out tremendously hit a few snags along the way. It closed with one of the strangest signing day stories you’ll ever see when Peyton Bowen bailed on Notre Dame for Oregon, only to change his mind and bail on Oregon for Oklahoma just a day later.
In all, Notre Dame wound up with 24 signed commitments after the second signing period in February. It didn’t finish in the top couple of spots nationally like we had hoped after it’s tremendous start but will continue to add to the overall talent for Notre Dame.
Here are the 24 newest members of the Notre Dame football team:
