Marcus Freeman details multiple injury updates for Notre Dame

Notre Dame pulled away from NC State late in Saturday’s game, but overall it was a tough, physical contest for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame had a few people get banged up during Saturday’s game and others continue to nurse injuries from earlier in the season or even the preseason.

Head coach Marcus Freeman provided updates on multiple players during his availability on Monday, starting with senior linebacker JD Bertrand.

“He’s in concussion protocol. So he’ll be non-contact tomorrow, but I talked to him yesterday. He’s doing much better. But he’s in concussion protocol, so to be determined right now,” Freeman said of his status for Saturday’s game against Central Michigan.

He added that running back Devyn Ford is doing well after getting banged up prior to the NC State game.

“He’s expected to be back. He’s finishing up his concussion protocol, but he’s expected to be back by Saturday,” Freeman said.

As for defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio, Freeman said that he remains out after suffering a knee injury in the opener against Navy.

Tight end Eli Raridon, who has yet to play in a game this season, is “still progressing,” according to Freeman.

“I doubt he’ll be back this week. Not 100 percent sure, but I doubt he’ll be back. It’s progression. When you come off your second ACL, it can be physical and mental. … Until he physically feels 100 percent and mentally feels like he’s ready to go, you can’t push that guy to get on the field.”

Marcus Freeman praises resilience, Sam Hartman’s performance vs. NC State

It wasn’t easy at first, battling through a 105-minute weather delay, but Notre Dame came away with its biggest win of the season on Saturday. The Fighting Irish defeated NC State 45-24 in Raleigh behind a strong performance from Sam Hartman on offense and a defense that created multiple second-half turnovers.

It was an impressive showing on both sides of the ball — one Marcus Freeman said showed him a lot about this year’s team.

“They’re the resilient bunch of guys, man,” Freeman told ABC’s Molly McGrath after the game. “We always talk about staying in the moment. We don’t control the weather, we don’t control having a two-hour delay. We control what we do when they put the ball down. And I was glad to see them really go out and do a great job with that.”

Hartman shined against a team against he struggled with while at Wake Forest. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns to help lead Notre Dame to the victory. Much was made in the lead-up to the game about how Hartman performed against the Wolfpack in the past, bringing a 1-2 record against NC State into the game.

To Freeman, the way he battled back stood out after some stalled drives.

“I think it was the ability to continue to go,” Freeman said. “We started off two three-and-outs, and they were aggressive. They were aggressive all game long. But the ability to get settled down, come out the next series and go and execute, that’s what I was most pleased about.”