Notre Dame will be without defensive tackle Gabe Rubio and defensive end/special teams stalwart Loghan Thomas for Saturday's game against Southern Cal
Notre Dame’s run defense for Saturday’s game against Southern Cal took a late week hit with the news that defensive tackle Gabe Rubio will miss the game with an elbow injury. The Fighting Irish announced that Rubio is out on their late week injury report and Irish head coach Marcus Freeman discussed it in his Thursday call with the media.
“We've had a committee at defensive tackle,” Freeman said when asked about Rubio’s absence. “Obviously, you don't want to lose Gabe, from experience, from a production, from a veteran guy. But you have a lot of confidence in those guys in that room and spreading out that production amongst a couple guys. Everybody's got to step up a little bit more. (Jason) Onye, Donnie (Hinish), Jared Dawson, Elijah Hughes, Cole Mullins. All those guys will have to continue to elevate their game.
Rubio’s 173 defensive snaps this season are the most among Notre Dame’s interior defensive linemen. Hinish is next with 157, followed by Onye’s 148. Dawson has played 138 snaps, while Hughes has played 92. But all but nine of Hughes’ snaps have come in the last four games. He played a season high 26 snaps against Arkansas and took 18 snaps last week against NC State.
Onye is listed at the top of the depth chart at the 3-technique tackle position with Mullins behind him. The top three spots on the nose guard depth chart are Hinish, Dawson and Hughes, respectively.
Defensive end and key special teams contributor Loghan Thomas will also miss this week’s game due to a concussion. Thomas has played just 28 defensive snaps but leads the Irish with 101 special teams snaps through six games.
“The value he brings more than anything on special teams is something that not many people talk about,” Freeman explained. “He's a great special teams player for us, and can come down there on some pass rush situations that we're going to have to find a good replacement for that role.”
Defensive back Devonta Smith (right calf), wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (right thigh), tight end Cooper Flanagan (left achilles), and offensive lineman Will Black (concussion) all remain questionable on Notre Dame’s Thursday injury report. Receiver Micah Gilbert, who injured his hand in in last week’s win over NC State, is also out this week.
Freeman also said that after last week’s season ending injury to center Ashton Craig, Joe Otting will start in his place and Cam Herron will be his backup.
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