The Fighting Irish defense, a dominant force throughout the season, is now dealing with the loss of key player Rylie Mills to a knee injury. Notre Dame will look to replace Mills' impact as they prepare for their CFP quarterfinal matchup against Georgia.
Notre Dame’s defense set a dominating tone early in its College Football Playoff opener against Indiana. The Fighting Irish stuffed the highest-scoring team in the CFP field for a 14-3 halftime lead, but then Notre Dame suffered a gut punch.Defensive lineman Rylie Mills sacked Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke on the first play of the second half, and had to be helped off the field with a knee injury.
Heading into its CFP quarterfinal game against second-seeded Georgia, the Fighting Irish are determined to make sure the setback doesn’t turn into a letdown.The Fighting Irish (12-1) finished with a 27-17 victory against Indiana, giving up two touchdowns in the final two minutes after building a 27-3 lead. Now Notre Dame has to replace Mills, its sack leader this season, for the game against Georgia (11-2). Kickoff for the Sugar Bowl is scheduled for Wednesday at the Superdome in New Orleans.'So we feel badly for (Mills), but at the same time … we just don’t flinch,' Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. 'We move forward. It’s time for somebody else to have an opportunity, and I know they’ll be ready.'After a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in the second game of the season, Notre Dame’s defense led the charge for an 11-game winning streak that lifted the Fighting Irish when the offense struggled to find its footing. And the defense has done it while being forced to replace a series of key players.Mills was a force on Notre Dame’s defense, which is ranked first in the nation in team passing efficiency defense (96.94), first in turnovers gained (29), first in defensive touchdowns (6) and third in scoring defense (13.8).Notre Dame’s defense punished opponents this season despite losing four starters to season-ending injuries — linemen Mills, Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore (all knee injuries), and cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hip). Freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (knee injury) hasn't played since he was hurt in the Army gam
NOTREDAME FOOTBALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GEORGIA DEFENSE INJURY
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