Notre Dame football injury report: Starting corner questionable vs. USC
While it appears Notre Dame will get the help of one of its senior starters in the secondary back for this weekend’s much anticipated matchup against No. 5 USC, another one has been added to the injury block. Cornerback Cam Hart is questionable vs. the Trojans, per head coach Marcus Freeman.
Safety Brandon Joseph missed each of the last two games with an ankle sprain. Freeman listed him as probable. Now all eyes shift to Hart, who has started 11 of 13 games at corner for the Fighting Irish in 2021 and has been a mainstay in 2022. He leads all defensive players with 568 snaps this year according to Pro Football Focus.
Hart is nursing a shoulder injury suffered in the second half of last week’s 44-0 blowout of Boston College. He had offseason shoulder surgery and was limited during spring practices as a result. Hart also missed some time during fall camp with an undisclosed ailment.
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Hart is not the only questionable player on Notre Dame’s two-deep depth chart. Freshman wide receiver Tobias Merriweather missed the last two games with a concussion. He’s questionable to play vs. the Trojans.
Graduate student defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola missed senior day with a concussion of his own. He is probable to get back on the field in the regular season finale. Sophomore tight end Mitchell Evans rolled his ankle vs. the Eagles. The short-yardage sneak specialist and No. 2 tight end is probable to play as well.
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Perhaps most importantly, Notre Dame’s new all-time sacks leader Isaiah Foskey is probable. He left the Boston College game and was looked at by trainers for an apparent lower-leg injury. Freeman said a key to Saturday’s game will be containing USC quarterback Caleb Williams when he tries to improvise. Foskey’s athleticism on the edge will be of huge help in that department.
It’s going to have to be all hands on deck on both sides of the ball for Notre Dame to spring an upset of USC. The Trojans’ defense can be had; it is the No. 94 total defense in the FBS, allowing 405.0 yards per game. But the highly-potent USC offense is the No. 2 unit in the country. At 513.0 yards per game, only Tennessee (540.4) averages more.
Notre Dame has done well to impose its style of ground and pound, rough and tough play on opponents in the second half of the season. It might be difficult for the Irish to do so on the road vs. a top-five team. This could very well be a shootout. And if it is, the Irish will want their back-end defensive playmakers on the field for a potential game-defining drive late in the tilt.
