Howard Cross III injury update: All-American defensive tackle OUT vs. Army
Graduate student Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III is out for Saturday night’s game against Army, the Irish announced on social media. He will miss his second-straight game with an ankle injury.
Cross was questionable entering Saturday’s game after missing Notre Dame’s Week 12 win over Virginia.
“We will see how he progresses as we move forward this week,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday.
Sophomore wide receiver KK Smith is also out for Week 13 with a clavicle (collarbone) injury. Smith has 3 receptions for 38 yards this season. Graduate student running back/special teamer Devyn Ford (groin), who was listed as questionable heading into the game, is available.
Junior defensive tackle Donovan Hinish, who has 3 sacks since Cross went down, will start at nose tackle for the Irish.
When he sprained his ankle in the second quarter of Notre Dame’s Week 11 win over Florida State, Cross led the Irish with 4.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss. Fellow graduate student defensive tackle Rylie Mills passed him in sacks later that series, and he’s since tied him in tackles for loss.
Cross was named a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp, The Associated Press and The Sporting News last season, which he finished with 66 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss. He was also near the top of the country with 39 quarterback pressures and 32 defensive stops — or tackles that result in a failure for the offense — according to Pro Football Focus.
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The AP, USA Today and The Sporting News named Cross a preseason first-team All-American entering his sixth season. He told reporters one of his goals for the year was to turn more of his pressures into sacks, and he hit his career high in Week 7.
Cross and Mills willed Notre Dame’s pass rush to be one of the nation’s best at the time he got hurt, despite the loss of graduate student vyper Jordan Botelho and sophomore vyper Boubacar Traore to season-ending knee injuries.
“It starts with those two big guys in the middle,” Freeman said Nov. 4. “Rylie and Howard, they create some disruptions for the offensive line where maybe other people get the credit for the pressure.
“It’s a collective group effort, but we won’t be successful unless those two big guys inside are playing at a high level. … Stats don’t always tell that story, but we know. And people that really evaluate the game truly understand the difference they make.”
Cross would have been significant for stopping Army’s triple option attack. While the Irish made it clear that the Black Knights are not “Navy 2.0,” Cross had 4 tackles in Week 9 against the Midshipmen.
Notre Dame and Army kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y.
