Notre Dame football bounced back in a big way from their shocking loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, dismantling Purdue on the road 66-7 to get their season back on track. Marcus Freeman's group looked a lot more like the potentially dominant group that handled Texas A&M in College Station in Week 1.
Notre Dame's victory came at a cost, however. The Fighting Irish lost three starters to injury during the win over Purdue: defensive end Jordan Botelho, center Ashton Craig and guard Billy Schrauth. On Monday, Marcus Freeman gave a grim injury update about his starters, per Pete Sampson of The Athletic.
“Marcus Freeman says defensive end Jordan Botelho and center Ashton Craig are out for the season,” Sampson reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Guard Billy Schrauth only out a few weeks.”
The update on Schrauth is a relatively positive one after the junior was seen in a walking boot and using crutches on the sideline after suffering an ankle injury on Saturday. They will also miss Craig at center for the rest of the year, who went down with a knee injury. He had played every snap for Notre Dame this season prior to leaving Saturday's game.
Botelho is one of Notre Dame's most experienced defenders, and the Irish will miss his presence up front after he went down with a knee injury. He recorded a career-high six tackles in the season opener against Texas A&M and finished the 2023 season with four sacks.
Sampson also reported that offensive linemen Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan will enter the starting lineup for Craig and Schrauth. Both Coogan and Spindler started for Notre Dame at guard last season, so the Irish have some experience filling in up front.
Is Notre Dame fully back on track after dominant win?
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football rebounded from an ugly loss against Northern Illinois and looked like world-beaters on Saturday, but does that dominant showing mean they're all the way back to themselves?
The jury is still out on Purdue, who is now 1-1 after pounding Indiana State before playing against Notre Dame, so it's difficult to judge the strength of the Irish's competition on Saturday. We shouldn't find out much more about Freeman's group this weekend when they take on Miami (OH) at home, as Notre Dame should comfortably cruise through that one (but maybe there's something about the MAC).
The date to circle on the schedule is Sept. 28. Notre Dame, now ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll, will host No. 19 Louisville in a blockbuster top 25 matchup. The Cardinals have been impressive so far this season, albeit against a soft schedule, and will be a much better barometer of where Notre Dame is at.
Beat Louisville in convincing fashion, and we can officially write off the Northern Illinois loss as a one-off bad day. If they fail to impress in that game, it may be worth pondering whether this Notre Dame is all they were hyped up to be.
Follow Us
Subscribe
