Howard Cross III injury update: Marcus Freeman reveals status of Notre Dame All-America DL
According to Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman, the program’s All-America defensive lineman, Howard Cross III, appears to have avoided a major injury against Florida State.
In the No. 10 Fighting Irish’s 52-3 victory over the Seminoles on Saturday, Cross suffered a first-half injury that left him limping off the field to the injury tent. The second-team All-America selection later was seen with his left ankle taped. However, he did not return to the game.
Afterward, Freeman said it was an ankle sprain that should not sideline him for an extended period.
“I don’t know if he could have came back,” Freeman said. “(They) didn’t even tell me that. Just said he’s out right now with an ankle sprain. I think by the time there was a possibility maybe he could have came back, it was over.”
Before the injury, the 6-foot-1, 288-pound graduate student had 2 solo tackles. Cross has 23 tackles (13 solo), 5.5 for loss and 4 sacks on the season.
Though Cross did not play in the second half, defensive line coach Al Washington’s unit did not skip a beat. They combined for 18 tackles and 6 sacks, led by fellow graduate student defensive lineman Rylie Mills‘ 3 sacks.
“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.
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“I just wanted to make sure Howard was okay. 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.”
Cross’ replacement, junior Donovan Hinish, finished second on the team with 5 tackles. He also had 2 sacks.
The Irish defense only surrendered three points and 208 yards and held the Seminoles to just 3 yards of play. It marked another ironclad performance for defensive coordinator Al Golden’s unit.
“From the defensive line, from the whole defense, it was dominant,” Mills said. “In my opinion, I think it just kind of shows when the front end and the back end are on the same page; when you see the back-seven is covering as they did, it’s hard to get completions on us.
“That’s one of the great things about our defense. We feed off each other. So if the D-line is doing really good, the corners, they’re coming up to us, saying, ‘You guys are killing it. Like, this is great.’ And then vice versa, like they’re getting picks. And we’re like, ‘Dude, this is great. Make them hold the ball.’ I think it just works both ways.”
