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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The injured Irish are headed to the national championship game. Bring all the bandages, braces, and balms to Atlanta — this team will need them. Nobody is 100% at this point in the season, but what Notre Dame has battled through to get here deserves recognition. Even hours before the Orange Bowl win over Penn State, players and staff were dealing with a minor flu bug. Injuries and illnesses have defined this team’s journey.
“Next man up” is a cliché in football, but Notre Dame embodies it, especially along the all-important offensive line. To wit:
In the first week of fall camp, tackle Charles Jagusah went down with a pectoral injury. ND later lost linemen Ashton Craig and Jordan Botelho to injuries on consecutive series in a September blowout against Purdue.And in the playoff semifinal, left tackle Anthonie Knapp and right guard Rocco Spindler went down.
Jagusah’s injury was thought to be season-ending, but he stepped in Thursday night to spell Spindler and protect backup quarterback Steve Angeli, who was thrust into action late in the first half when Riley Leonard went to the injury tent with a head injury.
“We went through all the tests, and they decided I was good to go back, but we definitely took our time and evaluated my numbers from this summer when I took a brain test compared to now,” Leonard said. “I passed that. Steve Angeli, this is a guy who has waited his turn and all year has prepared like he’s a starting quarterback every single week. He showed a lot of maturity, and he helps me out a lot. He knows exactly what the defense is doing. He’s a good friend of mine, and I appreciate him a lot. For him to go in and drive us down like that was huge.”
Angeli stepped in, completing 6 of 7 passes to drive…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-heart-of-the-irish-battered-and-bruised-notre-dame-knows-reaching-national-championship-numbs-the-pain/
Author : Richard Johnson
Publish date : 2025-01-10 13:23:00
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