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Howard Cross injury update: Marcus Freeman shares latest on Notre Dame DL

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•11/10/24•

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Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman greets Howards Cross III during the Irish's win vs. Stanford. (Photo by Mike Miller)

In the first half of Notre Dame‘s 52-3 win over Florida State on Saturday, Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III suffered an apparent lower-leg injury and didn’t return to the game. After the win, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman provided an update on Cross’ injury.

“They said it was an ankle sprain,” Freeman said. “I don’t know if he could’ve came back. He didn’t tell me that. He just said he’s out right now with an ankle sprain. I think by the time there was a possibility that maybe he could’ve came back, it was over.”

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Before leaving the game, Cross recorded two tackles. While the Fighting Irish would’ve loved to have Cross on the field, his talents were necessary to defeat the Seminoles.

In the win, Notre Dame held Florida State to just 208 total yards of offense while squeezing two turnovers out of the Seminoles. Further, Florida State was only successful on 3-of-its-17 third-down conversion attempts.

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Notre Dame wreaked havoc in the Seminoles’ backfield, amassing 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks in the win. It was nothing new for the Fighting Irish, who boast the 18th-most sacks in the country this season.

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After the game, Notre Dame defensive lineman revealed how Howard’s absence motivated him.

“When Howard went down, for me, I was just gutted for him (considering) how much he put in this week and how much he makes everyone better,” Mills said. “So that kind of gave me a little like frustration, like we saw a guy go down, which is you never want to see. So I think, hopefully, it led to that.

“I just wanted to make sure Howard was OK. He was great; he was a leader on the sideline, talking to the young guys, talking to me. He kind of gave everybody words of encouragement.”

Howard Cross has played a large role in Notre Dame’s defensive success. He’s tallied 22 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a career-high four sacks this season.

If all goes well with his recovery, Cross will have a chance to get back on the field with his teammates on Saturday against Virginia at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on NBC.