Notre Dame has suffered a handful of crushing injury blows.
Notre Dame football made a strong recovery from their surprising loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, dominating Purdue on the road with a score of 66-7 to get their season back on track. Marcus Freeman’s squad resembled the powerhouse team that beat Texas A&M in Week 1.
However, the victory came at a cost, as the Fighting Irish lost three starters to injuries during the game: defensive end Jordan Botelho, center Ashton Craig, and guard Billy Schrauth. On Monday, Marcus Freeman provided a concerning injury update about his starters, as reported by Pete Sampson of The Athletic.
“Marcus Freeman announced that defensive end Jordan Botelho and center Ashton Craig are out for the season,” Sampson shared on X, formerly Twitter. “Guard Billy Schrauth is expected to miss a few weeks.”
The news for Schrauth is somewhat encouraging, especially since he was seen in a walking boot and on crutches after sustaining an ankle injury on Saturday. Craig, who had played every snap of the season until his knee injury last Saturday, will be out for the remainder of the year.
Botelho, one of Notre Dame’s most seasoned defenders, will be missed after he suffered a knee injury. He had recorded a career-high six tackles in the season opener against Texas A&M and ended the 2023 season with four sacks.
Sampson also mentioned that offensive linemen Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan will step into the starting roles for Craig and Schrauth. Both Coogan and Spindler have starting experience at guard for Notre Dame from last season, giving the Irish some depth for their offensive line.
Is Notre Dame fully back on track after dominant win?
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football bounced back from a tough loss to Northern Illinois and appeared unstoppable on Saturday. But does this impressive performance indicate that they’ve fully returned to form?
The verdict is still out on Purdue, now sitting at 1-1 after a strong win against Indiana State before their matchup with Notre Dame. This makes it tough to evaluate the level of competition the Irish faced on Saturday. We likely won’t gain more insight into Freeman’s team this weekend as they take on Miami (OH) at home, where Notre Dame is expected to win easily—though the MAC might have some surprises.
Mark your calendars for September 28. Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll, will host No. 19 Louisville in a significant top 25 clash. The Cardinals have had a solid season thus far, although they’ve faced some weaker opponents, making this game a better test of where Notre Dame stands.
If Notre Dame can defeat Louisville decisively, we can chalk up the loss to Northern Illinois as just a bad day. However, if they struggle in that game, it might lead to questions about whether they live up to the preseason hype.
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