Marcus Freeman gives multiple injury updates ahead of NC State game

Notre Dame is one of a handful of programs having played two games before Week 2, so seeing injuries piling up already isn’t a surprise.

During his Monday media scrum, head coach Marcus Freeman updated the status of multiple injured players following Saturday’s 56-3 stomping of Tennessee State ahead of next week’s clash against the NC State Wolfpack.

“[Gabe Rubio] had an arthroscopic surgery, so he should be back in another couple of weeks,” Freeman said. “Devyn Ford, he had a concussion. So, he’s in concussion protocol. Don’t know the status yet. That will be a day-by-day thing. Drayk Bowen should be back this week.

“And then…Matt Salerno had a lower leg injury, and he’ll be out for an extended period of time. Multiple weeks. I don’t know, really, when he’ll be back. But, he definitely had an injury from the game.”

Rubio, a 6-foot-6, 300-plus-pound defensive lineman for the Irish, injured his knee during the Week 0 season opener against Navy and was expected to be out for a few weeks. It seems his recovery will be played by ear and looks to get back onto the field before too long.

Before going down with injury, he recorded one tackle while playing 19 snaps. He also recorded two quarterback hurries.

Ford left Saturday’s game vs. Tennessee State early, but was getting banged up after recording one rush for three yards. He only had one rush during the Navy opener, but is hoping for an extended role once he’s recovered. Transferring to Notre Dame from after four years at Penn State, this could be Ford’s last chance to make an impact at the collegiate level.

Meanwhile Bowen, who will likely be used as a practice body a true freshman this season, is going to be the quickest to return, per Freeman. The Irish headman had great things to say about Bowen over the offseason, and could be a major player for Notre Dame in the coming seasons.

While Notre Dame’s injuries are piling up, they’ll still have to travel to NC State on Saturday to battle Brennan Armstrong and the Wolfpack. They’re coming off a 24-14 win over UConn this past weekend, and are looking to make a statement win during their home opener.

Kickoff is set for Sept. 9 at Noon ET live on ABC. Vegas Insider lists Notre Dame as a 7.5-point betting favorite heading into the weekend.