One last tryst with fate. This one is for all the marbles. The Fighting Irish stay fightin’ and have exceeded the general wisdom by reaching the Natty. Notre Dame have fought and toiled their way to this stage, and it’s been quite the traversal through the CFP. However, the success has also tagged along some ancillary pain. Injuries are an inadvertent byproduct of a deep playoff run, and that’s been the case with Notre Dame. HC Marcus Freeman, in his championship game presser, leveraged some updates on that front. Alongside the overarching issue with the flu outbreak affecting his roster.
First off, some good news. Jeremiyah Love is “full-go”. The star running back wasn’t his usual potent self in the Orange Bowl. Playing through injury with a knee brace was a rather evident hindrance. It’s inconspicuous whether he’ll sport the brace again, but Marcus Freeman did suggest he’s 100%. WR Beaux Collins is also “healing” from his calf strain. “[Beaux ] will work back into practice here in the next couple of days. I hope as long as he progresses, he’ll be good to go for the game. But we have to make sure that he progresses as we go through this week.”
Freeman also stated half the roster had been hit by the flu. Reports of an outbreak in the dressing room emerged right before the semifinal against Penn State. However, Freeman doesn’t expect it to have an impact on proceedings. Whether that’s the truth or a facade of fake confidence, you can be the judge. Unfortunately, it’s not all rosy down in South Bend.
Marcus Freeman states probably half of the team has had the flu. Doesn't believe it will have an impact on the game.
— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) January 12, 2025
“Anthonie Knapp is out with a high ankle sprain. Expect Rocco Spindler to progress. Will do what’s best for the program in terms of who starts.” said Marcus Freeman. Freshman O-Tackle Knapp left the previous game limping and will not partake in the biggest game of the year. A shame for the kid. He adds to an already stacked injury list, still inclusive of pass-rusher Rylie Mills.
Marcus Freeman will need all available hands on deck to overcome Ohio State. The Buckeyes are favorites, and for a good reason. They flicked a proverbial switch after the loss to Michigan and have been rolling ever since. Apart from updates on the injury front, Freeman also spoke about an interesting facet underlying this behemoth clash.
Marcus Freeman confronted about going up against a familiar foe
Coach Freeman has often been under the lens for his perceived lack of experience. He’s managed to thwart most of this skepticism through the CFP. Ironically, there’s a certain experience he brings to the Natty that no one else has. Marcus Freeman has been to the National Championship as a player in ‘06. Who for? The Ohio State Buckeyes. The plot indeed thickens. As if the stakes weren’t high enough already, this adds an extra wrinkle to affairs. He was confronted about this during the presser.
When asked if the game was a full circle moment, a stoic Freeman said, “In terms of this season, yes, from where we started…you know, [from] the loss to Northern Illinois to now … we’re getting ready to play for the national championship, it’s full circle. This has nothing to do with the past and where I went to school. This is about this opportunity that lies right ahead of us.” Wouldn’t expect much else from Freeman, who’s done a great job of keeping the main thing the main thing throughout. His comments about being the first black coach in the National Championship are a proponent of that.
Marcus Freeman will be gutted to have players out with injury. More than missing their services, he’s the kind of guy who’ll miss them being unable to be a part of this stage. Alas, football doesn’t stop for no one. The Jeremiyah Love news does provide a silver lining. Riley Leonard and he will be tasked with putting points on the board against arguably the best defense in the country. The last dance for the tandem. Coach Freeman lost his first Natty, he’ll want to right those wrongs.
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